Drama Waiting for the Bus

It is the fourth day of school.  We are all getting into the swing of this.  We don't feel the need to be ready 30 minutes in advance.  We have figured out that we can venture out in the morning and still make it back for lunch and to meet the bus.  Things are getting good.

Until the storm strikes.

Literally.  We had a summer heat thunderstorm that blew up right as the bus was supposed to be rounding the corner.  We saw that it was getting dark and cool.  We saw the wind whipping around, it was kind of exciting.  Then it got darker and it got even windier, the bus wasn't coming around the corner and the first few drops started to fall.  Uh oh, mama is going to get wet. 

We seem to have issues keeping umbrellas, or at least functioning umbrellas in the family.  So I knew that I was going to get wet.  I prepared myself.  It was just sprinkling.  The bus would be here any minute, I would be fine, Jac would be fine. 

All three of us (four if you count Trucker) were huddled around the screen door, looking down the street waiting for the bus to come around the corner so we could dash out and try not to get too wet.  This seemed like a good plan.  Then .....

BAM

An extremely loud clap of thunder accompanied by a bright flash of lightning made all of us jumped, Mia cried and both kiddos plugged their ears.  Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to be dashing out in the storm.  Hmm.  Then Jac looked up at me, with tears in his eyes getting ready to spill over, he told me "Mommy, somtimes on the bus when I am on the edge I have to hold on really tight because when we hit a bump I almost fall out of the seat."  It sounded like a confession.  But I think he was worried that any more claps of thunder and he either wouldn't be able to hold on because he would be too scared, or the sound of the thunder would physically push him from his seat. 

So, like any good mother, I offered a solution (sit on the inside or don't sit three to a seat), a hug and a kiss.  He pulled it together pretty quickly.  I also showed him that the bus was so late that the thunder and lightning were pretty much over and it was just going to rain now.

And rain it did, downpour in fact.  I grabbed Jeff's huge ski jacket, put Trucker in his crate, instructed Mia to stay in the house (in my best "or else" voice) and prepped Jac on his this was going to go down.  We waited until the instant we saw the bus come around the corner and headed out the door.  He went without hesitation and climbed right on board. 

I will be telling him when he gets home how brave he was to get on the bus in the storm and rain.  Sheesh!  At least it didn't storm on the first day of school.  I also found out that his two kindergarten buddies that he rides with on the bus also had a few tears in the waiting process this afternoon.