Addie came home from her first day of Kindergarten in an unmarked police car.
Escorted by a detective with a gun and badge.
No part of that is a lie.
You see, Addie was supposed to ride the bus home after school. The bus came to the top of our street, the doors opened, the kids poured out, the doors closed and the bus drove away.
No moosh.
I wasn’t even sure what to do.
So I told my neighbor “Soooo…the bus didn’t bring my kid home.”
She quickly turned to her husband (a detective) and said “GO! AFTER THE BUS! ADDIE IS ON IT!”
So he took off in his unmarked car.
I wasn’t even sure if Addie was on the bus or not.
The bus stopped again at the other corner, still no Addie.
The bus continued around the corner, so did the police car.
We stood on the corner.
We waited.
And waited.
Finally the car came back around the corner and into the driveway with one curly headed Kindergartener in the back.
One oblivious curly headed Kindergartener.
She was talking to her friend and FORGOT TO GET OFF THE BUS.
Which in mom speak translates into “ALMOST KILLED HER MOM DEAD.”
So.
Other than that? Addie thinks Kindergarten is the bee’s knees.
I however may be dead by grade one.
(photo by Kim Orlandini)
making unbreakable - formerly moosh in indy. 
She was having SO MUCH FUN on the bus she forgot to get off.
Those were the days!
I’m glad you survived mostly in tact. Good luck today!
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That would have stopped my heart too! Glad she’s home safe and sound.
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oh goodness! LOL I know you were probably freaking out, but this will be a GREAT story when she’s older 😉 Glad she made it home safe and had a good time!
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ugh. the bus. every year on the first day of school there is at least one kid who gets on the wrong bus, which results in one panicked parent. So far (knock on wood) that kid hasn’t been mine.
Glad she got home safely and loved kindergarten. It will be a fun year, for both of you 🙂
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Aahhh!!!
That had to be the most nerve wracking few minutes of your life. I cannot even imagine.
I am glad she had such a good first day of Kindergarten that she forgot to get off the bus though. That’s good.
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I would have messed myself. I bet Addie did it on purpose, so you all could have a good laugh at her high school graduation. Because some day, this is going to be a really funny story.
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@designHer Momma, ROFL! I would have messed myself too.
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I almost had the fire chief have to go after mine!! LOL. Riley’s first day of kindergarten just about yielded the same results. I just screamed at the bus driver before she could pull away (barely in time to catch her). If I hadn’t, my fire-chief neighbor would have had to do the same thing *lol*
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This is too cute. Day one of so many…
Upside – she didn’t come off the bus crying. Like I did on the first day of school for two years. Ok three years.
Cheers to your kindergarten kid!
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I would have likely been bawling. BAWLING.
And even in a situation like this: you have all the luck! OF COURSE your neighbour has a police car at home. OF COURSE.
(Dear commentators, inside joke, please don’t hurt me. You see, Casey has golden horseshoes up her butt and I like to bug her about them. Mostly because I AM JEALOUS!)
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Having too much fun with her friends and didn’t want to come home?
Wonder where she gets that from!
🙂
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I love the photo of you two! My daughter is obsessed with all things Snoopy and Charlie Brown right now. 🙂 So glad Kindergarten is being good to your sweet Addie!
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I am glad Addy was ok and that you have fodder for the list of “ways you almost killed me when you were growing up”. It’s an important list to keep up to date.
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I love your neighbor!! It’s like living next door to Elliot Stabler.
HM
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@Hamlet’s Mistress, ooh. if I lived next door to elliot stabler *I* would go missing more often…
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My kindergartner got off the bus just fine, but upon further inspection, his tag with the bus number had the wrong number. My middle child thought it would be cool to ride the bus of our former driver. Thank God someone caught it before he made his great escape!
Another bus story: in the first grade, our oldest was in a bus/car accident, and didn’t get home until nearly 5:30. Multiple calls, and their only answer was everyone was fine; please wait at your home.
Being a parent of bus riders is not for those easily spooked.
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Oh, man. That’s the best 1st day of school story I’ve ever heard. Though not so great for you, I’m sure. At least, not as it’s happening… but later? Great story to tell.
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Oh, and also? Can I express my shock that your little girl is old enough for SCHOOL? CANNOT be possible.
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OMG. I am so glad she is OK> My mom has a scary K bus tale of me- the bus driver tried to drop me at the wrong house and I screamed and stamped my feet and they took me back to the school! LOL. She’s gorgeous babe! I am in shock she is in K already! Time! Fly!
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That’s it! We’re holding Isaac back a year!
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You almost killed me dead too. Whew. I am thankful every day that I walk my kids to and from school (it’s at the end of our street). Glad she wasn’t upset.
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I was going to let Emma ride the bus to school on Monday for her first day of kindergarten.
Now I’m not so sure.
My neighbors aren’t cops.
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That pic almost made me cry, I am not looking forward to next year when my baby goes off to school! Really sweet pic.
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Yikes! I bet that was the longest 20 minutes(or however long it took to find her) of your LIFE!
Glad Addie is safe and that she loves Kindergarten.
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wow,glad to hear the kids is ok
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I can’t imagine how deep that sinking feeling must have been! So glad it all worked out! And, great post headline.
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This is the best first day of school story in the history of ever!
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This is too cute. It appears she is already loving school. Just remember what doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger.:-)
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My son did this very thing his first day of kindergarten, too… though I called the district office and they brought him back home rather than the police. Oh the joys!
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I think I had a heart attack just READING THIS. Thank goodness she’s ok. And now? I shall start researching HOME SCHOOLING.
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That would have given me a heart attack. It nearly did reading about it!
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Gah! I would have died! I’m glad that you had good friends with you to help!
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Oh heavens. Yep, my heart would have stopped beating as well. It’s amazing how quickly our children age us!
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Sheesh. I can’t even imagine. However? I also can’t believe the bus driver didn’t know to help kindergartners get home okay. Hmmm, I now understand why I don’t let mine ride the bus.
Am glad she loved it. Beautiful photo by the way.
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You know, this is why I read blogs. The real stuff is so much more interesting than fiction. Told ya she’d rock kindergarten. 🙂
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This is the BEST story ever!!!
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Wow, I didn’t ride the bus until I was 13 and even I almost missed my stop a couple times for that same reason!
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You’ll be telling this story about her for the rest of your life. It’s a good one!
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That is scary, but HILARIOUS at the same time! Glad your neighbour was around to use his magical cop skills and that Addie was ok!
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Sooo…..do we need to go to Walmart to get some hair dye to cover up all that new white hair? Because, good hell, that’s seriously scary. I would probably have passed out, or started shouting incoherently. Thank Heavens for Law & Order neighbors.
Love you (even with all your new white hair).
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This happened to me on my son’s first day of K too. Bus drove right by our house, only to turn around so he could be dropped off without having to cross the highway.
I was a scared Momma, but quickly learned. 🙂
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Hahaha, oh no! I can only imagine how those few minutes must have felt. My dad tells me all the time about how one day, when he came to pick me up from first grade, I wasn’t outside waiting for him. I’d decided to go down to the park — which I wasn’t supposed to do by myself, but all of the other kids did every day — because I thought I had enough time to go play before he got there, but apparently not. My poor dad!
I’m so glad Addie’s okay. I seriously can’t imagine the panic I caused my dad.
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Sounds vaguely familiar to my son’s first day last year. Well except for the policeman, and the gun and the fact I put him on the wrong bus but similar none-the-less!
Glad she got home safe and sound 🙂
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Oh Lordie. *whew*
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Too sweet. Poor Mama xo
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My 1st grade teacher put me on the wrong bus the first day of school. Of course I was too shy to say anything as she drove right by my house. Twice. When she had made all her stops, guess who was still on the bus?
Me.
Thank God my mom had already called the school and they were looking for me.
I never let that teacher put me on another bus the rest of the year.
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This happened to our family too. The bus always comes at the same time, and I make sure I am always there to see my son cross the yard.
One day, the bus did not come. I sat there, peering out the window, and pacing the floor. I waited it out for a few minutes (which felt like a hour) because I know things happen. Still no bus.
I finally called the school office, who in turn called the bus dispatcher. I could hear the entire convo on my end. No one knew where he was.
Finally, the found him. Turns out the bus driver missed him. He is normally a car rider, so there was some confusion. Needless to say, the bus driver checks for him each time now.
Your ending is a little more cool. He didn’t come home in a police car. But I am sure we have a few years to get there. LOL!
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I’m sure it didn’t even phase Addie. That girl is pure steel. And way too grown up.
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When I was in first grade, I decided to ride a different bus home, you know, one with my friends on it. One that didn’t even come close to going by my house. My family fah-reaked and it took them almost five hours to find me.
And your daughter is GORGEOUS.
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Ahhh, moosh! Cut your mom some slack, will ya? At least wait until the second MONTH of kindergarten to start pulling such shenanigans!
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ummm, the apple fell pretty close there.
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