If You Need to go to the Bathroom...

Make sure your kids know where you are.

I went to the gym Monday evening around 5:15. When I left, Alan and the guy installing our new flooring, Jason, were shootin the breeze. I called Alan when I left the gym to tell him I was on the way home. He said, "YOUR CRAZY KIDS!!!" I could only imagine what they had managed to destroy. Alan explained that Jason left and the kids were playing so Alan went to use the bathroom. He said he could hear the kids and then they got very quiet. Next thing he knew, the doorbell was ringing. When he opened the door, our neighbor was standing there holding our kids' hands. She said they came down to her house and told her they were home all alone. Alan told her he'd been home with them all afternoon and that he was in the bathroom. He said the kids never called for him or knocked on the door. Even better was the fact that Sophie was in just a pair of underwear and a t-shirt. To top it all off, when I got home, I asked Sam what happened while I was gone to the gym and he said, "Sophie pinched my arm really hard and it hurt." It was like telling the neighbor that he was home alone was no big deal.

I did praise him for thinking of what to do in case of an emergency and told him that going to the neighbor's house was a great plan when he needs help. I also praised him for taking care of his little sister and making sure she was safe. But then I told him that we would never leave him home alone and he should call out our names before thinking we're gone.

Lesson learned: Tell your kids you're going to the bathroom so they don't think you left them home alone.