My Daughter, the Benevolent

My daughter is a smart girl and I’m a proud mother.

She earns straight A’s in school, engineers her alarm clock system so that by 5am, she is ready to get out of bed, and she has taught herself to play her favorite songs on the piano – by sound. She’s also such a great kid – she’s kind and caring and fair to all her friends.

So caring, in fact, that one day, she missed her own bus to make sure a few of her friends got on their bus. No, really. Let me tell you:

There I was, in the midst of a pile of work at the office. It was a freezing, rainy day and I was dreading the walk from the building to the car when my workday ended. It was so cold it felt as if the icy air could freeze my soul. Literally.

Anyway, my phone rings, messing up my zone. It’s my daughter.

“Mommy, can you pick up me, A, M & M? The bus broke down.”

I panic because it’s freezing and my 16 year old baby girl has to wait outside because the bus is broken. I could picture her waiting outside, cold, miserable and shivering, frostbite on her fingers and toes.

“Ok, I’m leaving now, be there as fast as I can.”

I’m racing to the school at the speed limit so I don’t get a ticket. The thought of my kid turning to ice because she refuses to wear a winter jacket is almost bringing me to tears. My sense of urgency makes sure I catch all the red lights, because that’s how Murphy’s Law works.

But I finally make it to the school and pull up to the front doors.

My daughter is the only one power-walking to the car.

I’m confused. Where are her friends?

And I kid you not, the following conversation did take place. Verbatim.

“Where are your friends?” ~ Me

“Oh, their bus became un-broke so they went home,” ~ Her

Blink blink.

“So, why didn’t you get on the bus, too?” ~ Me

“You know they don’t ride the same bus as me, Mommy,” ~ Her

“So your bus was still broke?”~ Me

“No, mommy, I said THEIR bus was broke,”~ Her

“Well what was wrong with your bus?” ~ Me

“Nothing,” ~ Her

Jaw drops.

“So, you missed your bus … why?” ~ Me

“Because they weren’t going to have a ride home and it was freezing out, And you were already coming,” ~ Her

Sweet, huh? My kid cares about her friends so much she would freeze her butt to make sure they got home, even if it meant missing her own bus. Except they didn’t have to wait in the cold anymore, they were able to make it home.  

Then a thought occurred to me.

“Do they have parents?” ~ Me

“Yes,” ~ Her

“Do they have phones,” ~ Me

“Yes,” ~Her

“Then why couldn’t they call their parents?” ~ Me

“Because their parents have to work, mommy,” ~ Her

There is no emoji that would accurately describe the look on my face or the emotions I was feeling – I must have gone through about five or six.

“So … what do you think I do all day … at MY JOB?” ~ Me, staring incredulously at my daughter’s assumption that perhaps I didn’t work at all – I just go somewhere for eight plus hours a day and money mysteriously appears in my bank account.

And her resulting expression once it dawned on her that I did, in fact, have a real job – just like her friends’ parents – was a mixture of shock and apology. A bulb of realization went off in her head: her mom also had a job and that she probably did not need to leave early to almost take care of her friends whose bus un-broke after she missed her own bus home.

God Bless America … this kid …

I took her back to work with me so I could make up the time, even though I could have worked through lunch the following day.  And I made sure it was an excruciatingly long time before we went home; because not only did I leave work, I had to miss a 6 p.m. Crossfit class, which meant I didn’t get to burn any calories so I did NOT get to have any salted caramel ice cream.

Although I was slightly annoyed, the entire situation was almost comical. To this day whenever I bring it up, she insists she said “their” bus broke and I didn’t ask enough questions over the phone. My reply to that?

“Well, I was only thinking about my baby girl freezing, with her friends, so by the time I asked questions you would be a Popsicle and still miss the bus. I wanted to hurry and get to you as fast as I could to get you somewhere warm. That’s how much I love you.”

Dramatic? Probably. Truth? Most def.

Gah! I love my kid!