Yes, as I said last week, he was missing. I had left son number four on our screened porch with his action figures while I fixed us lunch.
I initiated the help of son number three to assist me in carring the food to the porch from the kitchen, but just before we brought the food out I had son number three go check on son number four.
I had been in the kitchen a little over five minutes so I was sure that he was okay, but something was telling me to check on my most “active” child.
I now know that “something” in my mind was the good Lord.
Son number three came running to me, saying, “I can’t find him, Mommy, he is not on the porch and he is not in the house.”
Just as I started out of the kitchen, I saw son number four running up to the front door, in stocking feet, crying out my name.
I opened the door to let him in, and he kept saying, “It was windy and the door slammed loud and I could not get to you.”
It took a minute for my mind to process that he could not get to the front door outside from my screened porch. The screened porch is off of my bedroom, which is on the first floor, but the only way in and out of that porch is through our bedroom.
His socks were dirty and his face was dirty and I could not figure out exactly what he did.
Then, he said, “Mommy, the plant blew over and it scared me. Then the door slammed shut and it scared me. I could not get to you, so I went out the window. Officer Friendly said find a way out when you have to get to safety.”
Then, it dawned on me. I ran to the screened porch and, sure enough, he had pulled one of the screens back, went out of the opening backwards so he could hold on to the ledge, and then jumped about seven feet down to the grass.
Fortunately, the screens are temporary and were loose anyway, so pushing a little bit could slide them open. But how did he find the guts to make it down to the grass and then run around the house to the front door?
“Jesus saw me and he kept me safe,” my wide-eyed son explained to me.
“I just did what Officer Friendly said to do, because I was scared and I wanted to come to you.”
I was thankful that he had remembered to keep his cool and find a solution. This is the son that my husband and I always say has nerves of steel, but that usually gets him into trouble.
This time, it benefitted him well. Even though he wasn’t in any danger.
I explained to him that I was just in the kitchen and I would never leave him alone. I was only in there a few minutes, and he knew I would return. Why didn’t he just wait for me? He was perfectly safe on the porch.
He just shrugged his shoulders, and said, “Next time, I will make the lunch, and you can sit on the windy porch.”
He did not seem nearly as astonished of his deed as the rest of us were. I sure was thankful that we still have volunteers come to our schools and teach our children safety tips.
We told him, from now on, leave the jumping to Tarzan.
To which he replied “Tar – who?”
Thanks for sharing.