The boy...

Went on a big adventure with no family.  Okay, it was to an amusement park 150  miles away from here but for him, it was a big adventure. 

I had a feeling it would overwhelm him, the park is huge, there is a lot to take in there. More to do in a day really.  I was excited for him to give this a try!

I heard from him by text a couple of times during the day, I always have to text him first.  That's my kids, ugh! He is a boy and that's probably normal but anyway.....It had been hours since I bugged him and it was getting toward the end of the day when I knew they had to head for the buses soon. So I said to him to let me know when he's on the bus because I worry.  He said he went out of the park thinking the buses would be there (it was the time they were supposed to be at the buses) but there were no buses, no people he knew, he was alone outside of the amusement park, far away from home.  :( He said the employees refused to let him back inside to get to his group.  He'd not realized he'd need his hand stamped, they said he had to buy a ticket to get back inside.  A 14 year old boy and he looks like a 14 year old boy. 

So mad! He had to wait outside the park about an hour alone.  He was crying, the boy, after all is 14 and he has anxiety. 

Frustrated.  After about an hour the chaperones sent a few kids and an adult to wait with him.  I'm mad at the school but I'm letting that go because it's the district A is working to get into.  I do think they could have done that much sooner because they knew he was out there alone and at least one of them knows about him. 

Cedar Point, I'm pissed at! What the hell?  Why?  I sent them a message on their web site and they called me a few hours later.  She apologized and asked if he was okay.  I explained he has anxiety and I don't know what will come of this.  I don't know when he will feel brave enough to try something like this again, this was his first adventure alone.  She said they'd talk to their staff and they should have known to let him back in because there were lots of schools there that day.  They had no reason to doubt a 14 year old boy upset trying to get back in.  We used to love going there, we haven't been there in years and we were considering a trip there if we could work it into the budget but not this year, not at all.  Maybe never. 

What the hell.  :(  That's my kid.  *sigh*