Bad Mom, Good Neighbor

Soph, Jennie and I were happily checking off our to-do list, just after lunch, all the way across town, when my head bopping cell phone ring caught my ear. Isaac informed me that Joe was safe at his house, and he was happy to keep him till I got home.

What? Joe and Dalt are supposed to lop happily off the bus at 3:35 and arrive home to sliced oranges and reading time with their mama. What?

Somehow, and maybe it's because Joe gets a gazillion notes from his all day kindergarten class, and a gazillion more from his morning kindergarten class, and Dalton gets a gazillion notes from his school, and as the school year end approaches all of the schedules are different and everything's a jumble, and then theres the junk mail and the notes I bring home from church, and the notes I make for myself, I missed the memo that Joseph had a short day yesterday.

Joseph came home to an empty house, lucky for him the front door was unlocked! He shouted up for mom, no answer. He shouted down for mom, no answer. He shouted out the back, no answer. He resorted to his "stranger danger" scream that I've told him will work to get someone's attention in an emergency, and this time... no answer. Realizing that there was no adult supervision, he started in on what I told him NOT to do yesterday, when he was bored with that, he ventured over to Isaac's house to find safe refuge, and play with Owen.

I'm glad for my safety net of a neighborhood. Thanks Isaac.

I told him not to.


He liked the power.