Mama Bear

Yesterday, one of my nightmares came true. I have a pretty high-level of anxiety when it comes to the safety of my kids when they are out of the house. I hate it when my fretting is for good reason.

Emma went to preschool like normal yesterday. At normal pick-up time, Scott left to go pick her up and left Grace and I at home. Shortly after I got a call from Scott saying that the road to her school was completely closed. He was able to cut through a neighborhood but as he would quickly learn, there was absolutely no access to her school because construction workers had busted a natural gas pipe right in front of her school. She attends a preschool that is part of a much larger private school to the eighth grade. They are in the middle of a huge construction project building a huge new building for their facility. Apparently, the gas line was broken during the construction.

I soon received a phonecall at home alerting me that Emma was part of a "shelter-in-place" emergency. There would be no access in or out of the school for who knew how long. Scott, meanwhile, had planted himself at an access street across the intersection from the school. We were in contact by phone, of course. I was giving him all sorts of instruction including storm the place and GET MY DAUGHTER OUT OF THERE! I didn't care how he was going to do it, but I was freaked that my little girl was stuck and we couldn't reach her. The mama bear in me had emerged and was growling! I was thinking of fences he could scale, anything. I was desperate. The school had suggested that the parents go home and await a phonecall as to when their children could be picked up. Can you imagine? "Oh great, free daycare, I'll be at Nordstroms. Hope that gas leak works out alright." I don't think so!

Leave it to Scott's ability to work the crowd. With some patience, he stuck around and then was finally able to learn from a police officer that if drivers would keep their windows and vents closed, they were going to allow cars through to pick up the little ones. Scott was second in line! That's my boy! Emma was the first in her class to be picked up.

I can't explain the emotions of knowing I can't get to my kid and then the absolute joy of knowing she was safe and sound with Scott. She was a bit nervous (she was probably at school an extra 45 minutes) but of course just fine. I'm very grateful for a good ending. Homeschooling is sounding better and better. All my kids could be safe and sound in the nest and never go out. Of course, no kind of a disaster would ever happen at home on my watch!