A moment of horror...

Today we woke up to a week of getting back into action. Anthony had last week off for Easter so he was excited to get back to school and see all of his friends. He has a very wiggly tooth that he was eager to show off to his classmates. We get ready and go through the motions this morning just like we do every Monday morning.


The bus picks Anthony up at the end of our driveway on the opposite side of the road. Every morning the bus pulls up, he sees it from our entryway, and crosses the street in front of bus every time. Today the bus pulled up and I could tell it was a different driver than normal. Anthony sees the bus and heads for it. I see the two neighbor boys who live on the other side of the street get on the bus. I then see the stop sign attached to the bus start to retreat back. I realize that the bus driver does not see that Anthony is coming across the street. It was like in slow motion, a scream came out of my body that I did not even know existed. I could see in plain view that she did not see him and the bus starts to pull forward. He is right in front of it, less than 5 feet and the bus is moving slowly forward. There is nothing I could have gone to stop it from where I was at. It was the worst feeling I have ever had.

Just as soon as she pulls forward she stops. Anthony has no idea anything has just happened because he was just focused on getting on the bus like he normally does. The bus driver waves to me because at this point I know she sees me in the entry way with a look of absolute horror across my face. I see her wave straight ahead and realize that my neighbor Kristin most likely pointed out that Anthony was in front of her when she took off. I am still shaken by it.

I called the school as well as the bus company to let them know what happened. The dispatcher at the bus company responded by telling me that they will make sure when there is a sub they will have it clearly stated on the route that there is a child crossing the street to get on the bus at our stop. When I called in I thought I had calmed myself but I started to sob.

Life can change in blink of an eye. My worst nightmare unfolded before my eyes. Thankfully it went the right way but I keep replaying the scenario over and over in my head. Our children are our everything. Today the dirty socks on the floor don't matter; the kool-aid stains on the carpet are minor. I am just so thankful to be able to celebrate my soon to be 6 year olds birthday on Thursday this week and play in the sandbox when I get home. I have no idea what I would have done if it went the other way. I just can't shake it.