Never been so scared in all my life!

Tonight, I have been in tears, my heart had that lead thump in it, and I was crying.
Ds was missing. He came in at 6pm and said "Mom, I am going riding with conner" meaning he was going to ride his bike. "OK, be back in 1 hour, by 7" "OK"

7 comes, no brad. ok, he is in trouble, it is still light out, but he probably lost track of time. 7:30. no brad. OK, now he is on restriction, and in even bigger trouble. Call conners house. "Is brad over there?" "No, I haven't seen him, I think they went to brians" ok, call Brians. "Is Bradley over there?" "no, he and Brian went out riding their bikes" OK, he is in BIG trouble. Now it is 8pm. I think, ok, I am going to go look for him. I get in the car, and start. Conners mom calls. "I can't find them, conner is with them. Brian is home, and he doesn't know where they are" WHAT? I just talked to Brians house, Brian was with them. ????

Ask Brian-- No, I left them an hour ago, I was tired, they were riding by the park.

Now brad knows he better not go out of the irish walk neighborhood, and the park is on the edge, and is pushing it. I go to the park. No kids. Then I find out another kid is with them-- Kristi-- and Kristi's grandma is in tears, out looking for them. This is ridiculous. It is dark now.

Brad never stays out past dark. He KNOWS he BETTER be in before dark. I am getting worried. I am calling 911.

911 takes FOREVER in getting info, before they even dispatch. I am driving, talking to 911. I see Connie. "connie anything?" nope. and Conner is scared after dark, he just won't stay out after dark. 8:30. Still on the phone to the Sherrif's dept. OK, they have cars out looking. one came to the house, and asked all the same info as 911. sheesh-- I could be looking- can't you ask dispatch?

driving driving driving-- nothing. Getting more worried, making deals with God. PLEASE let him be ok. I won't be mad, just let him be ok. Where could he be? Where could they all be? Why has no one found them? We have conners mom, Kristy's grandma, conners brother (older) and myself out driving the neighborhood.

10 minutes until 9pm, I pass 3 sheriff cars parked about 3 blocks from my house all in a row, in front of the new construction going on. WHAT?? WHY ARE THEY NOT OUT LOOKING FOR MY SON? (oh by the way, he is 9 years old). So I stop, and out behind one of the sheriff comes bradley. I just start bawling.

OK, where has he been?

Well, I guess, they were out riding the dirt hills where the new construction happens. All of the builders have gone home for the day. They hear banging in one of the houses, and then someone looks out the "non window" (a hole is there, but no window yet) They all 3 get scared, and run to the house being built across the street, and hide in the back yard behind a mound of dirt.

There they sat, afraid to come out for over 2 hours. They were afraid the person in the other house was going to kidnapp them, so they hid, and were to afraid to come out. When the sheriff shined the spotlights into the dirt hills, they saw that it was the cops, so they all came out running to them.

So almost 9pm, 2 hours late for curfew, they find him. I pull over to ask the sheriff if they knew anything yet, and a bawling bradley is standing there, telling me how scared he was.


So do I punish him? I feel like I should, and yet I shouldn't. If it WAS a dangerous situation, he did good, but how did they think they were going to get home?
Frankly I am just so relieved he is home. he is covered in mud from where they hid, but I am just relieved.

Hug your babies.