Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Just When You Thought All Was Ok Again...


How would you like to start your morning with:

I'm fine but the bus got into an accident. Don't call. I'm fine.”

DON'T CALL??? I'M FINE???? WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED??

Then I realize...teenager on bus with unknown number of other students. He doesn't want them listening to him talking to his mom. He didn't say, “Don't text.” So we text. Here's the gist from the paper


I do like how the school handled the incident. THE superintendent of transportation called me personally and talked for at least ten minutes answering all my questions.

Later in the day, I got an email from him with the link to the online immediate article. I'm sure our print paper (yes, we still get one...old fashioned and The Swede is a columnist so I like to save the newsprint copies of his articles) will have a bit more info.

My Transporter is fine, though still a bit shaken from the incident. He had thought they'd all be sent home, but another bus picked them up and took them to school. He was sitting sideways in his seat talking to friends so he didn't get any whiplash. Pretty sure the students who were sleeping might not have fared as well...

As to the sleeping thing, this brings up a point I've been wanting to address for a while. Let's take a survey of parents, shall we? Who sleeps latest, your toddler, your elementary school child, your middle school child, or YOUR TEENAGE CHILD? Why do the teenagers have to be on the bus at 6:30 in the morning and the kids who have been running around the house for two hours get picked up at 8? As a former middle school teacher who taught many a first period class, let me tell you: they are not firing on all cylinders at 7:28 in the morning. And what's up with the 7:28? Would it kill you to start at 7:25 or 7:30? You know, NORMAL numbers? Never did quite get that...we ended school at 2:12. Seriously. The elementary kids couldn't burn off three more minutes?? But I digress. Worried and stressed mothers do that.

So my boy who lived, lived again. Can't stop hugging him. And he can't stop coming to find me to talk about random things. Teenage mother/son love is a beautiful thing.

17 comments:

betty said...

Glad to hear your son is "okay" and didn't get injured in the crash. I do agree with the bond/love between a teenager and a mom :)

the person who gets the less sleep is the mom of a teenager who drives :) (speaking from personal experience :)

But in reality, the high schoolers need the most sleep between them and elementary school students, but you are right in that the high schoolers tend to be the early start time. Getting my son to high school was always a "joy" especially his senior year when he decided to take a zero period class that started at 6;45 a.m. :)

again, glad it worked out the way it worked out for your son and his fellow bus riders!

betty

Tonja Drecker said...

So glad to hear your son's okay! And I totally agree with the school hours. My teenage son wanders out of the house like a zombie no matter how early we put him to bed . *hehehe* he'd love to hear me say that. Around 8:00, he's awake, but before then, brain mush.

Paul Anthony Shortt said...

I'm glad he's all right.

School times make no sense here in Ireland, either. Classes would be 38 minutes long. We'd get a morning break that was 11 minutes.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Tina .. well all I can say is - I'm so pleased all is well ... though can't have been an easy few minutes adjusting to the situation.

Hope today is easier. Many thoughts .. Hilary

Annalisa Crawford said...

That's a scary start to the day. I'm glad your son, and all the other kids, were okay.

My teen could sleep all day if I let him, but his friend calls for him just after 8, for an 8.35 school start (when the school is 10 minutes away IF they dawdle!)

Unknown said...

Good to hear your son is ok. and teens will be teens!

Jolie du Pre said...

I'm happy to hear your son was not hurt. I have an 18-year-old son in college, and yes, the mother/son thing is a strong bond.

Brian Miller said...

ugh...we had this happen here not too long back...not my son but a bus wreck because the superintendant thought we should go to school in a snow storm...

they had to get all the cops in the county out to transport kids home...needless to say i don know this guy will keep his job...

but i am glad your boy is ok...that is scary...

JoJo said...

What a relief your son is OK!!! I don't have kids or anything, but I remember when I was a teen I could easily sleep till almost noon on the weekends. It was hard to get going in the mornings. I think I read online somewhere that teenagers really do require a lot more sleep.

klahanie said...

Hi Tina,

Shall keep this brief. Your other commenters have summed it up well.

Thank goodness all was okay and kudos to the school for keeping you informed. Hug away, my friend.

In kindness,

Gary

Anonymous said...

Oh, those moments when a mother's heart stops - yes, we know them well...and then we take a big, deep breath and all fine again. Thank God for hugs!

Kathryn Neff Perry, PhD, MA, LMHC said...

Wow.....so glad your son is fine. I can't imagine what you thought when you got that phone call!
Great post. BTW you're a terrific writer!
Hugs
Katt

Anonymous said...

Great way to find that your son has been in an accident. Also good to know that and English teacher appreciates my story, Recovering.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Glad he wasn't hurt!
If I had my way I'd still sleep as late as a teenager.

Julie Kwiatkowski Schuler said...

I'm glad the children were mostly unscathed. I've often heard that buses are pretty safe.

Shannon Lawrence said...

Glad he's okay and you guys can comfort each other. I heard about that accident! One thing I like about my kids' school is that the elementary starts before the middle school. I have yet to find out about the high school hours, though. They probably still have to get up incredibly early. I remember wondering the same thing when I was in high school. I've always assumed they're thinking that it prepares them for the work world?

Shannon at The Warrior Muse

Elizabeth Sara said...

I'm very glad that he's all right!