Anchorage! (and back, for some....)

On Sunday the kids and I flew over to Anchorage for the week.

Stuey was sent home on a plane Monday afternoon by himself. His first unaccompanied Minor trip. Stuey made several bad choices, the last of which was running away from my mom in Fred Meyer. The store called a "Code Adam" (missing child) on him. "Boy in striped shirt and blue shorts missing." Shortly after I heard the intercom, I saw Stuey race around the corner with a gleam in his eye. He had run away from my mom and I knew right then that he had to return to Kodiak.

Within 10 minutes of us returning to the car, I had his return reservation made. I had to step outside the car to be able to hear the agent...Stuey was inside the car sobbing and crying, begging for me to change my mind.

When I brought him to the airport yesterday, he did ask a few times, "What can I do to earn my trip to Anchorage back?" I said, "Stuey, its too late. You made bad choices by not listening to people and now you have to go home." He wasn't as sad as I thought he would be. As I handed him off to the gate agent,  he didn't cry and he smiled big and waved as he approached the plane. Several times. There wasn't any separation anxiety there.

Then last night when I called him, he sobbed and said, "I miss you mommy. I can't stop thinking about you, mommy". It was heart breaking on some levels, but then on several other levels, very good for him to realize that this is the consequence for his bad behavior.

It was a week of bad listening that led to his send-home back to Kodiak-not just the Fred Meyers incident. Fred Meyers was the icing on the cake. (And seems like I always have bad incidents with the kids in Fred Meyers. Bummer cause I love the one-stop nature of that store.)

He'll spend the rest of the week in Kodiak with Patrick and Nora and I will finish the week out here in warm Anchorage. I'm having a blast relaxing, shopping and catching up with friends and family.

Zoya

Stuey getting a quick trim before heading back to Kodiak!