Today started out pretty normal. I sat and folded laundry all morning while the younger kids played and Alix was at school. After school another little boy (Dillon) came over while his aunt went to work for a few hours. He and Alix play really well together and when she is occupied during the other kids naps, things are MUCH better. His cousin Kaylee came to get him and ended up staying. No big deal. She is 11, but she comes over to play with the kids all the time. They were playing out in the garage but it got too cold so they all came in, right about the time Jonathan woke up from his nap. They started playing with Jonathan while I made dinner. Then the three of them went back outside.
Jonathan plays on his own a lot, and at this point pretty well has free run of the house as long as the bathroom doors are closed. So, I wasn't terribly concerned when I didn't hear him for a couple of minutes. I had just started calling out his name to figure out what he was doing, but I didn't get a response. Not that he usually talks to me, but he makes noise, or will sometimes come running. Nothing. Then I hear a knock on the door, and a woman's voice saying "hello?" She came in and told me she'd found Jonathan out in the middle of the road. Now our street is not a major thoroughfare by any means, but it is the main road into the neighborhood. There is a fair amount of traffic most of the time.
He had a guardian angel with him today. I am SO GLAD he wasn't hit or harmed in any way!!!
I have to admit, my reaction was probably not the greatest. I went out to the garage and asked the kids who had left the door open. Dylan admitted that he had opened it to look outside- then he hadn't shut it all the way. I then yelled at them to get out of my house. I was so angry/scared at that point that I was totally shaking. I told (screamed at) them repeatedly to get out because they just weren't responding. I'm sure it was because they were shocked since that isn't usually me.... Alix kept asking me why I was making them leave and I told her it was because I felt like hitting them.
They finally left and Alix stormed up to her room screaming about how rude I was. A little while later I went into her room to talk to her only to be yelled at. She told me I was rude to her friends. I actually agreed with her, and told her that yes I was rude, but that I think I had the right to be, and we'd talk about it more later.
I knew I needed to go talk to the kids, and thought about waiting until tomorrow, but something kept telling me it needed to be tonight. I am so glad I listened.
I went after dinner- when I had cooled down significantly. When I went over, the older sister was really leery about letting me in *anon* Dillon looked a little scared when he came out, and the first thing I did was hug hum. I explained that my reaction was more fear than anger and that I didn't hate them I just needed them to leave so I could cool down. I told him he was welcome to come back to my house, as long as he promised to stay away from the front door :) His aunt told me that he had come home and put himself in time out. Then when she got home from work they told her about what had happened, and he had gone back to his room. He had put himself back in timeout. He is such a sensitive little soul- I know he was torturing himself and I am so glad I went to talk to him tonight! We ended up having a really good chat...and fortunately the mom/aunt completely understood my reaction and didn't freak out at me. So anyway- a surprisingly good ending for a really bad experience. I have decided the dead bolt is STAYING locked FOREVER! :).
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