Scary Moment

There’s nothing scarier than (a doll...more on that another time) getting a phone call from your daughter’s school saying that her bus was involved in an accident. Such was the case this morning. Although they said everyone was fine and that no one was injured in the slightest bit and that it was only a minor thing, you can’t help but think the worst. My wife and I were driving to the school to personally check on our daughter and I kept thinking to myself that this could have been much worse. What if it *had* been worse?

I didn’t give my daughter a hug or kiss this morning. I scolded her last night over homework. I told her to keep her voice down because Baby was sleeping. You take for granted that you can make up for these things later. But what if there is no later? I couldn’t imagine life without my daughter, without seeing her smiling face, without hearing her voice and laughter. All that could have been taken away in an instant.

Luckily, she’s fine. She said she had been scared and cried at first but she wasn’t injured and nothing hurt. My wife and I were relieved to hear that and gave her a big hug. It’s not easy being a parent but it’s not easy being a kid either. I need to remember that and try to be more patient and understanding. And especially to not become complacent because there might not be a later or a tomorrow to make up for anything.