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As we embark on another
month into Kindergarten at the Thom house, I've been having trouble
with Austin staying put on the school bus.
This has been a daily struggle and most days, without fail, I get a
phone call from the bus driver telling me how my son gets up out of
his seat while the bus is moving.Despite our talks and my incessant
reiteration of the importance of staying in your seat on the bus,
the problem continued.... and continued..... and then got worse.
One day, Austin had a really bad day on the bus and I was told if it
happened again he wasn't going to be able to ride anymore. After
that, I was fuming. The daily talks and "bus rules" reciting that
Austin and I had been doing had been going nowhere. What the heck
was I supposed to do here?!
On the way home that day, I kept trying to think of some way to get
him to understand how he needs to sit still on the bus. Just as my
mind was racing, I passed the Denham Springs Police Department.
Without a second thought, I turned the wheel and pulled the car into
the parking lot. I grabbed Austin by the hand and walked in through
the tall glass doors. "Mommy, what are we doing here?" asked Austin.
"You'll see," I replied. I have somebody that I want to talk to
you."
As we arrived in the lobby of the police department, there was an
older lady working the front desk. "May I help you maaaaa'am," she
said. Nervously I said, "Um yes, uh, I have a 5-year-old who, uh, is
having trouble sitting still on the bus. Can I, uh, get an officer
to uh, talk to him for a minute about the importance of staying in
your seat on the school bus? I just, I just can't seem to get him to
understand this on my own."
Whew. I said it. My heart pounded as I waited for her to utter the
next few words. I just knew she was going to tell me this was
ridiculous and they didn't have time for this. Instead, the old lady
chuckled as she chewed her gum and seemed delighted in my desperate
measure. She said, "Sure thing sweetie," and even cracked a smile.
A few minutes later, a police officer appeared and I introduced him
to Austin. You should've seen Austin's face. His jaw was just about
touching the ground. His eyes were deadlocked on the officers face
and his shiny, gold badge that sparkled in the lobby's flourescent
light.
"Hi Austin," said the police officer. "I hear you're having some
trouble sitting still on the bus. Is that right?" Austin mumbled, "Yyyeess
ssirrr." The officer went on to explain to Austin that he needs to
sit stil so the bus driver can pay attention to the road and keep
everyone safe. I found it amazing that Austin looked as though he
was hearing this for the first time, even though I'd told him the
EXACT same stuff every day for the past two months.
I thanked the officer and we left. It was a quiet ride home and as I
peeked into the rear view mirror to look at Austin, I could tell he
was deep in thought. He was replaying the conversation with the
officer in his head over and over. I didn't say a word. I needed to
sit back and let the officer's words sink in.
It has been a few weeks since Austin had the talk with the officer
and there have been ZERO school bus incidents ever since. It worked!
You see, sometimes it doesn't matter what it is you have to say to
someone, it just matters WHO it comes from. Guess that's why
celebrities make so much money with product endorsements, huh? We're
all suckers in the end. I'm glad I swallowed my pride and
impulsively pulled into the police station that day. It was
embarassing at first but now it's the smartest thing I've done all
year. I saved Austin and myself from a busload of trouble, and
maybe, just maybe, I saved a busload of lives too.
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