I will preface this story with my appreciation that folks were all acting with Teddy's best interests and safety in mind, and I very much appreciate that. I will also add that I thought the best Teddy story I'd have this week was the fact that he disappeared at his friend's house and was found in the bathtub fully clothed with the water running, but it's not.
This story starts with me attending a quarterly board meeting for my non-profit organization, with me as the official recordkeeper. In case it's not clear, to take accurate minutes for a meeting, it's important to be in the meeting. Ten minutes into this meeting, I notice "Bus Company" calling me.
That is not a call I can miss, so I step out to take the call. In talking with dispatch, I hear that no one is at our home. So, they are calling to check if Teddy can be left alone. If you're brand new here, you might not realize the answer to this question is either uncontrollable laughter or something that sounds a lot like "Duck no!" I opt for the more professional route, tell them he absolutely cannot be left on his own and that I need a few minutes to figure out why his childcare provider isn't there.
I immediately call Dave and ask him to head home immediately because he's only 30 minutes away. I then call the supervisor for our brand new ABA provider who started the week prior. Thankfully she answers. I share that no one is at our home, which is confusing to her because she had just texted Teddy's staff member who was supposed to be at our house. She said she'd try to call the staff member and get back to me. She called back after not being able to reach the staff member and said she'd head right to our house to get Teddy off the bus in about 10 minutes.
While I'm talking to her, the bus dispatcher calls me back again to report that AJ has arrived home. He asked whether Teddy could be left with the 13-year-old brother. My answer was unfortunately not but that we had another adult human who would be there in 10 minutes. He acknowledged this.
I returned to my meeting because it's impossible to take minutes when you're not there, knowing that I had a solution arriving in 10 minutes. When AJ text me while I was in my meeting, something about an authorized adult, I told him Dave was on his way home. I also missed a call from our next-door neighbor but wasn't about to miss more of the meeting when I had everything as fixed as possible.
And ... pause. Now that you've heard my version of events, let's transition to what really transpired in our cul de sac (as best as we can determine).
Teddy's new ABA therapist arrived at our house and was present when Teddy's bus arrived. There was a brief exchange during which she confirmed she was Teddy's service provider. (For context, she was with me last week when Teddy got off the bus, and Teddy promptly grabbed her and pulled her into the house.) Teddy's bus driver would not release Teddy to her care as she wasn't Teddy's parent.
When AJ's bus arrived, and I didn't authorize for AJ to be responsible for Teddy, they moved Teddy to AJ's bus. This was because AJ was the last kid on his route, while Teddy's bus still had a handful of kids to return to their homes. (Keep in mind, my calls with dispatch never mentioned the fact that our childcare provider was there, that there was an adult present, etc. The calls simply were asking if Teddy could be left alone or in the care of his brother.)
So, now both Teddy and AJ are stuck on AJ's bus, which is sitting in the end of our cul de sac. We have Teddy's ABA therapist waiting, and then her supervisor arrives. The person we're paying to support Teddy is in our driveway/road while Teddy is stuck on a bus. I will say, though, that if you're going to make Teddy wait anywhere, a bus with his friends and then an empty giant bus are the absolute best places to make him wait.
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| Just a boy who loves buses. |
About 30 minutes after I got the first call asking if Teddy could be left alone, Dave arrives home. He's obviously focused on getting in the house, getting debrief, etc. So while he notices the 2 cars for the caregivers and obviously the bus, he simply wonders what happened to the bus that it broke down and was stuck in front of the neighbor's driveway. He heads into the house and is puzzled to find an empty house ... until both kids are released and head inside followed by the 2 caregivers.
And, that my friends, is apparently just another Wednesday night in our household.
Oh, epilogue: After talking with the bus company this morning, there is absolutely no policy or list of approved or authorized people. They only need an adult visible in the window at the home to make sure the kid is not left alone for young kids or those with disabilities. We did confirm that any adult who is in our driveway there, stating they're there for Teddy, is able to take Teddy.
Don't worry ... I'm sure that will lead to the next saga being the story of the time Teddy decided to work for UPS or Amazon.
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