Nightmare!

~~ CJ IS FINE!!! ~~

Yesterday was a regular school day for CJ, he was to take the bus home. Greg went to the bus stop as usual and the bus came, he spoke with the bus driver who informed him that CJ didn't get on the bus. Greg then calls me, I call the school and they tell me the bus just left so it should be there soon. I call Greg back, make sure he spoke to the right bus driver (there are a lot of buses that stop in this area) and Greg assured me it was the right bus driver, it was the same guy as last year and one of CJ's little buddies from school had got off the bus.

PANIC! I then call the school back as I'm driving to the school saying he wasn't on the bus he was supposed to be. They double check the after school program to make sure he didn't go there by mistake. They then call the bus company and have them page the buses to see if CJ is on another bus. I'm now at the school running through the yard yelling CJ's name (all while I'm on hold with the school)....the school comes back and says that CJ was on the wrong bus, he's fine.

WHEW! Then the emotions set in.....what if! I'm thankful he's fine. I'm thankful that he was on A bus, even if it was the wrong one. So I wait at the school for CJ to be returned back to me. Then I'm wondering how is he going to be? Will he be upset? When the bus arrives back at the school (an hour later), CJ gets off smiling, running to me, wondering why his bus didn't stop at his stop! :-) I explained that he was on the wrong bus, so he just had a little tour instead!

As a parent this was a horrible experience that I hope to never have again. The idea of not knowing where CJ was, if he was ok, was he scared. I get emotional thinking about it now. As I spoke with the principal this morning she assured me that she would look into this personally herself today. He is now "tagged" for the green bus (bus #2) which is his correct bus.

I even went to the school with him the night before and walked the route of how to get to the bus, because he's got to pass the playground equipment, etc. and I had visions of him stopping to play and not making it to the bus! We talked about what bus he was on, #2....we chatted about this quite a bit because last year he was bus 1 and he kept telling me bus 1 was his bus, so finally he says, "Well I like bus 1, but I'm bus 2 this year!" I'm thinking ok, he's got it! What I didn't plan for was that he'd get lost in a group of kids from his class and end up on the wrong bus, I figured if he made it to the buses he would be ok.

I think they go from JK/SK where they have an adult with them at all times, to Grade 1 where they are supposed to be more independent.....it's too soon! They are too young!

I'm glad he didn't seem any worse for wear and was looking forward to riding the bus home tonight with his little brother! Great now I got two to worry about! :-)