False Alarm

I send the kiddos off to school every morning with a kiss, an "I love you, have a great day", and a reminder to call me from their phone when they get to school. This morning, I got the anticipated call, but it was not quite the conversation that I was expecting.

About 10 minutes after sending the boys out the door, my phone rang, it was Cameron, and after I said hello, I could only hear some rustling and then Cameron grunt into the phone, "...attacking me!..."

I soiled myself and had a heart attack at the same time.

I could still hear the jostling and the grunts, but Cameron didn't make another sound other than his huffed breathing into the phone. I tried to stay calm as I said into my phone, "Being attacked by what? Are you ok? Where are you?"

More jostling, grunts, I can hear Ethan yelling...

Are they being mauled by dogs? Is someone trying to stuff them into a nondescript van with no windows? What is going on??

"Cameron!!"

And then it all became clear. Cameron told me that Ethan was hitting him and wouldn't stop, and Ethan was yelling so that he could be heard too, that Cameron ran ahead of him and didn't stay together.

They had made it to the school, but apparently Ethan was intent on punishing Cameron for breaking the cardinal rule of walking to school - stay together.

First, I felt relief that they were ok. Then I felt rage that they had scared me so badly. Next came embarrassment at the mental picture of my children chasing after each other through the neighborhood and  brawling in the school yard. And finally, I had a small sense of satisfaction that I had scared Ethan enough about the dangers of walking to school alone that he was terrified to be without his brother. 

Score one for me.

*Originally posted July 2009.