Not All Who Wander Are Lost...
Unless of course, we're talking about my kid.
Yeah.
All week had been minimum days at my children's school, meaning that lunchtime was particularly chaotic. The kids normally eat at staggered times. Not so on minimum days.
My son's class got a late start for the cafeteria to begin with, and my son got separated from his classmates. He tried to find the right line, but with all the big kids swarming around, he became disoriented. He couldn't decide where to go. He grew increasinglyl panicked as he wandered around, and not seeing anyone he recognized, he bolted back to his classroom. Back in the room, he began to sob, and curled up underneath a table.
It only took a few minutes for his teacher to discover that he was missing from the lunch table, and she found my poor weepy boy in the classroom. She led him back to the cafeteria, and made sure he got the birthday cupcakes that were being shared, as well as his pizza lunch. Still he wept.
Poor little dude.
By the time I got there, he had settled down, but was still blotchy and his shirt was damp from tears. He sniffled and then ran straight into my arms, and hiccoughed out his story of woe. His teacher hurried over and explained as best as she could what had happened, and then gave him a squeeze before I led him out into the sunshine.
I asked the kids if they wanted to play, and while the girls were eager, my son clung to my side, and wanted me to hold him. He wiped his nose on my pants, and waited for the girls to be done.
The hubs and I tried to really get to the bottom of his emotions, and what had happened, and we only managed to get a sentence or two out of him before he abruptly changed the subject to dinosaurs. He's still so young, in so many ways. We'll keep talking, because God knows, that's what we do around here.
We praised his choice to return to familiar ground, glossed over the whole table hiding thing (this time) and emphasized that it could have happened to anyone, and we're glad he was smart. He was still shaken about the whole experience. Part of me hopes that he has learned how important it is to stay with the pack.
The other part of me knows that he's always going to wander.
Comments
Gah, feeling lost is one of the all time scariest things a kid can be. Glad he's safe and sound.
Posted by: Sheryl | September 23, 2006 8:03 PM
You have a very smart boy, to think of going back to his classroom! And you might want to mention to him that there are many grown-ups who don't handle scary situations as well as he did.
I bet he'll talk about it when he's calmed enough to handle it. My 7 year-old brings things up at really strange times, completely out of left field, but we've figured it just happens to be when his brain is ready to work on it.
Posted by: Anastasia | September 23, 2006 10:31 PM
Poor little guy. :(
Remind me never to get him and Monkey together. It could be the Emotion Explosion of the decade. ;)
Posted by: Mir | September 24, 2006 6:25 AM
Aw poor little guy. My son is in Kindergarten and I can see something like that happening to him. (((((hugs)))) for your little guy.
Posted by: Maria P. | September 24, 2006 10:59 AM
I remember, when I was a kid, the family moving from one apartment to another in a very large apartment complex. I didn't know where the new apartment was and came to the old apartment after riding my bike for a couple hours. Everything and everyone was gone. I fweaked.
I was 12. There is no age limit on feeling lost and alone all of a sudden.
Hope the little guy is feeling better.
Posted by: Contrary | September 24, 2006 2:21 PM
I hope he's feeling better about things today. When my daughter was in kindergarten she was worried about not knowing her way around the school,getting lost, etc so I told her if she ever got seperated from her class or felt lost to go to the office and ask for help back to her class.
Posted by: Amelia | September 28, 2006 2:03 PM