This is a story of a time when my children were little.  My eldest son suffered from allergies and sometimes they would get really bad to where he had trouble breathing.   One morning when he woke up he told me he wasn’t feeling well and asked to stay home from school.  “Of course” I said.  Thinking he had suffered an attack and didn’t get much sleep the night before.  So his little brother and I went off to school and work.

While I was at work, there was an earthquake.  In California that is a common occurrence and I panicked knowing I left my son at home.  That mother instinct gets you every time.   So I called to check up on him, no answer and the machine kept picking up.  Concerned I had phoned a neighbor and asked her to please go and check on him to see if everything was alright.  She agreed knowing, I was at work, when she called me back, and told me everything was fine, he was in the parking lot riding his bike.  Surprised at how quick my son recovered from is allergy attack.  I decided to let him play and I called the school and turned him in for truancy.   Figured it would have to teach him a lesson of responsibility.

The next day all was well and he went to school.  (By the way I hadn’t mentioned that I turned him in for truancy) When he came home from school he had a long face and I asked him what was troubling him.  He told me he was turned in for truancy and had to make up the day he had lost for faking being sick. I, confessed, told him it was his own mother that had turned him in and he was furious with me.  Explaining to him what had happened about the earthquake and him home alone.  Told him I tried to call and got no answer, my concern that he was alright being at home alone and finding out he was having fun,  I also explained the ramifications of this action and that I hoped he’d learn something from this little stunt that he played.  It was no laughing matter. 

All in all he never missed a day of school again.  So somehow in this little incident my son learned something.  But, that wasn’t the end of all of the little things and lessons he had to learn about in his lifetime.  We are very close and my sons know they can come to me and talk about anything.  I thank god every day for that.

By Cynthia Aholelei © May 14, 2011