5 Kids and a Dog

The past few days I have been trying to spend some time learning more about Charlotte Mason and her methods, as well as how to use these with my dd son. I found Childlight’s site, and located there are audio mp3’s of the speakers and workshops from the Charlotte Mason conference in 2007. I am midway through one on “Developmentally Appropriate Use of Narration”. It seems to be very much geared for a classroom, but I am taking notes and gleaning what I can, because she’s got GREAT ideas. There are many speakers’ audios located there. You should check it out.

Sometimes I find that I just parent from my gut. Today was one of those ‘gut it out’ days. Late this afternoon, the boys (ages 6 & 7.5) were invited to the next door neighbor’s house, to run through the sprinkler with the 6 yo girl who lives there. They play together occasionally, so this was fine with me. (Because of my 7yo’s delay, I am hesitant to let him just head on over to play with friends…. there is a trust issue that I must have with the parents, as well as necessary supervision, first and foremost.) So the boys went to run through K’s sprinklers while I made dinner. When it was ready, I called out the back door for them to come home.

D2 made an almost immediate appearance, making me think he was probably on his way up the driveway when I called. I asked him where D1 was, and he said, “Still playing”. I asked him to go back to K’s house to tell him it is dinner time, and he said, “Oh he’s way past K’s house, down the street.” “WHAT?!” (A kick-in-the-stomach feeling came over me.) I sent D2 to go back out and tell D1 it is time for dinner, thinking he was starting to head for his new friend’s house, two blocks over. D2 should catch him on the sidewalk maybe half a block up.

D2 never came back. 15 minutes went by, and no kids. So I figured he ended up chasing him all the way to T’s house. I put on my flip-flops and took off down the street and around the corner, to T’s house. At he opening of his court I could see T and several other kids playing in front of his house, but not my boys. I started to really get a sick/achey feeling in the pit of my stomach at that point. I had no idea where else they could have gone. Maybe they somehow missed me and were home already. I hoped.

As I jogged back toward home, I saw D1 running alongside someone’s house, through their yard, into their back yard. I don’t have any idea who lives here (90% of this neighborhood became occupied less than a year ago), or what he is doing there. I called to him, twice, and he finally heard me. He said HI! and ran into the people’s backyard, and up ON TO THEIR DECK. Now my gut is flipping out and I was just a tad angry too, to be honest. I called the boys and they both popped their heads over the railing of the deck as I told them dinner is ready. They both kind of stood there, and they were drinking glasses of soda. Now I was really NOT a happy momma!! I walked up the deck stairs, past the several other kids who I’ve never seen before, and told my boys to GO HOME. Dinner’s ready NOW.
On the way back out of the yard we passed the father (I’m assuming) of the house. He probably thought I was a grouchy mother, but by that point I was going between being very relieved and rather upset about the whole thing.

It turned out that K had to go inside, and when my boys had come out to the front of her house, they spotted a group of kids running through a sprinkler a block down, and went to join them. The parents of this home then fed them DINNER. Oh no, I am not a happy Momma. All of the possiblities of what could have happened keep running through my mind and it makes me so thankful my Heavenly Father is so good at protecting His children!!

And my boys are grounded for the weekend, while we go over safety issues.