Will missed the bus today.
It was a harried morning, as he frantically looked for his phone while heeding the directive from his dad to take the trash down to the curb. He also said the bus driver had been picking him up earlier and earlier each morning, so if he wasn't on time, he was late.
He came banging back into the house, angry and fearful that I would be angry as well.
On the contrary, I was delighted.
The bus stop ritual started as early as preschool, when I had to be at the bus stop for pickup, then I would go work out at the Y or do a coffee run until his bus dropped him back home a few hours later. The morning ritual continued until 4th grade, when I had to drop him off mornings because his pickup time was well after I had to be at work. I liked it because it gave me a little more time with him every day.
Fifth grade into sixth, his bus time was such that he either left the house before me or at the same time. And because he was growing up, the morning kiss turned into shouting "bye mom!" as he walked out the door.
As he hung his head, anticipating a lecture, I said I could be ready quickly, and brushed my teeth, fluffed my hair, and was ready to go in less than five. Cautious, he mumbled "I guess there's a life lesson in this somehow." Doing the parenting thing, we talked about priorities in the morning and he probably shouldn't have wasted time looking for his phone but he will know for next time. And, this meant I could get Starbucks.
I don't really know what else we talked about on the way to his middle school, maybe about what parking lot I needed to go to for the drop off lot. I remarked about the kids ahead of us looking like they were 8th graders. What coffee I was going to get, or maybe a pink drink.
At the drop, instead of a "bye mom, " I got a quick kiss from my kid whose day went from bad to ok. As I went to pick up the Salted Caramel Cold Foam Cold Brew (say that three times real fast), my heart was ready to burst with the randomness of what was a perfectly lovely start to my day and the sheer force of my love for this kid.
So he missed the bus. The opportunity for me to drop him off at school is closing; by time he is a sophomore, he will be driving himself around the corner and skipping the bus entirely. I hope he misses the bus a few more times so I can get my few extra minutes with my lovely man-child.
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