How Could You Do That?

I have done the unthinkable, maybe even the unpardonable for a mom. It is no excuse that I have 5 children, or that yesterday I found myself driving the van to pick up 5 more children and taking 8 home after church. It doesn't even help that I was the driving force behind our teen Sunday School going out for lunch once I got back from driving the van route. None of that matters to Jay, my precious, tender-hearted, eight-year-old son who got left at home alone yesterday for lunch.

How could you do that? you might ask. Pretty easily, I guess. When I picked up the group waiting for me in the church parking lot to go to lunch, I assumed (first problem!) everyone was there. Halfway to Fulton I thought outloud to my husband in the van: How did the Everetts (who were meeting us at the Mexican restaurant) fit both Marlena and Jay in their little car? Oh, wait, Marlena's in the van with us, so it was just Jay. Simple enough. After all, Jay had asked after church if his friend Chade (Everett) could come over and play and I said, "Sure, after the restaurant." So of course the boys rode together. . .and I didn't give it another thought. . .until I walked into the back room of LaCabana's and saw the Everetts sitting there with their TWO children. WHERE'S JAY??? He went home after church, they said, looking a bit puzzled. Faguely aware of the line of teenagers following me in, I barely contained my panic as I searched over their heads to find Jason. If memory serves correctly, HE went home and changed clothes while I was dropping children off after church, so SURELY he would feel somewhat responsible. "We left Jay!" But as he quickly turned around and headed back the 20 miles that we had just come, all I could think was "How could a mom forget her child like that?" Well, this one's going in the book. You know, the book that one of these kids will write to tell the world all the mistakes we made as parents. We often joke about what's "going in the book," and speculate as to which child will be the one to write it. We have made many mistakes over the past 13, almost 14 years, that we have been parents, but this is one of the most humbling. Of course, Jay was so gracious about it, and was more embarrassed about all the hoop-lah we made when he showed up later with dad. Hugs from Lindy and mom, a quiet,tearful apology from mom in his ear. But through it all, I am so grateful that God is watching out for my children when I fail to do my part. What was Jay doing all that time we were gone? He was upstairs playing the Wii. I do know that he realized we left him but I couldn't bring myself to ask how he felt at the moment of realization. And yes, I called the neighbor to come over, check on him, and tell him his dad was on the way, but still. . .