Mama Diaries

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

No Stopping the Mama

A couple of days ago, we had some major thunderstorms roll through the Atlanta area. And what was I doing? Standing outside in the middle of one, at a bus stop, waiting for my son to come home from school.

When I went to pick him up, it was raining and the sky was dark. Naturally, I did not want to let him walk home in a storm. I got my handy dandy umbrella, drove my car to the side street, parked, and walked the rest of the way to the bus stop. Then I stood, and waited. And waited. And waited.

Meanwhile, the winds picked up. The sky got even darker, and balls of quarter-sized hail rained down. Then the storm sirens went off. Great! I thought. This is just lovely!

Pretty soon the wind was blowing so hard, the hail was coming in sideways, under my umbrella. I was nearly knocked off my feet. Did I mention how wet I was? It looked like a had just walked into a lake.

The thought occurred to me that I should probably walk back to my car, but I figured, I'd end up missing my kid, and then he'd be stuck in the storm. That wouldn't be good. Besides, I was already wet, so what difference did it make if I got wetter?

So I stood there. Forty-five minutes! Yeah.  I know. Stupid. Eventually the storm passed, and my son's bus showed up.

The first thing he said when he got off the bus was, "Mama, a tornado touched down!"

I couldn't believe it. "No! Seriously?" I said.

"Yes!" he said. "It was about ten miles away. We had to stay in tornado position in the hall for over an hour!"

"That's nice," I said. "So I stood outside in tornado winds, waiting for you."

His eyes got big. "Mama, you're crazy!"

No kidding!

(In case you want to know, the winds I stood in were blowing at 65 miles an hour! Apparently, I did not get the memo from the school which was sent out about the kids being held there until the storm passed. Too bad for me!)    

52 comments:

  1. Ouch, hailstones hurt! Loving mama award for you; no cookies for the school though! Well, okay, they were keeping the kids safe, so a cookie for that... but no more than one, since they didn't let you know.
    Your son has no doubt that you're 'crazy' about him though!

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    1. Yes, my son absolutely knows I'm 'crazy' about him! :)

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  2. It's a good thing you didn't get swept up like Mary Poppins. Your son would have seen you fly by the window. "Look! There goes my mom!

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  3. Oh my gosh Sherry, that is awful... the things we do for our children. I'm happy you weren't hurt more. Just scary, stay safe...

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    1. If another storm comes along, I'll definitely know the school will keep the kids and I won't bother standing in the rain!

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  4. Whoa!! You were lucky. Both of you.
    Be sure to stop by today - surprise for you.

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    Replies
    1. I saw! You featured me as an "S" blogger. Thank you so much! What a nice surprise!

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  5. Oh wow-Sherry you always paint such a vivid picture-I could just see you being blown around and dripping!!! Glad you and your son are good!!

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  6. No storm is strong enough for a mother's love. That's so sweet. Hope you didn't catch anything nasty from the storm.

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    1. I'm a pretty tough Mama, so I didn't sustain any damage. :)

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  7. Oh, dear. You always try to do your best. You are a good mama.

    Love,
    Janie

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  8. Yikes! That sounds intense. Good thing you didn't blow away with that umbrella.

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    1. If the wind had gotten under the umbrella, I'm sure I would've been blown away!

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  9. Ohh, poor you . . . but what a sterling momma you are:-)

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  10. Ouch! I hate thunder storms and all that goes with it.
    You were brave to stand there all that time.

    Yvonne.

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    1. I'm not too afraid of thunderstorms. I rather like them. But I definitely am not a fan of tornadoes!

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  11. Oh, dear.

    Then he says, "Mama, you're crazy."

    You'll have many stories to tell him when he's older, or maybe he'll come and check out your blog.

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  12. Oh dear... but you know you'd do the same thing again!

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    Replies
    1. Haha! But now I know the school will hold kids over in cases of inclement weather. So if he's not at the bus stop at the normal time, I'll just go back home!

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  13. Glad you didn't blow away to Oz haha

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    1. I could be like Dorothy -and take Schultz! ;0)

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  14. I wonder why the school did not announce a delay, so you did not have to go get soaked so your son is safe. Here in New York, we check the Storm Center on radios and on the internet as well or even call the school, but again when you are a mommy of young kids you loose the capacity to think straight.

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    1. They sent out messages, I just didn't get it on time.

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  15. God must of been with you! But, I would have felt and reasoned just like you did in the same situation.
    Visit me at: Life & Faith in Caneyhead
    I am Ensign B of Tremps' Troops
    with the A to Z Challenge

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  16. Too bad you didn't have a stout umbrella like Mary Poppins, you could have given Atlanta something to talk about as you flew off to Oz (is mixing movies as bad as mixing metaphors?).

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  17. Sheesh, you're a survivor then. What a mother won't do for her kids. My sister lives in the outskirts of North Atlanta, and she tells me about the lightning. . .

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    1. There was no way I was going to let my son walk home in that kind of weather. It was nasty!

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  18. Oh my goodness! Thank goodness you were okay- though wet and cold. Scary!
    ~Jess

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    1. Wet and cold is right! I looked like a drowned rat. ;0)

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  19. Yikes! I've never had to deal with tornadoes where I live, so I can't even imagine how intense it must've been to be out in a storm like that. Thank goodness you're okay!

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    1. Those winds really came on fast. It was raining, and a little windy, then all of a sudden it got dark, and the winds picked up like you wouldn't believe! Then the hail came. Crazy weather!

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  20. This is quite scary story to be read. But glad that nothing bad happened to you.

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    1. I was fine. I had been in a tornado when I lived in Florida, and I knew the sound of one. I didn't hear the tornado where I was standing, otherwise I would've taken cover.

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  21. I'm happy you were okay! Your story is an extreme version of my mommy dilemma. I always run the kids checklist through my head before we leave the house. When I know the kids have everything they need, we leave. Then, we get to the ocean and it's cold. I knew that might happen, so I pull out my kids windbreakers - go me! Did I bring one for me? HELL NO! Now it's a big boo for me ;)

    You can find me here:
    ClarabelleRant

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    1. Haha! That's a mom! Always thinking about her kids, and rarely ever about herself!

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  22. Even a strong wind has me jittery so I can't imagine how I'd feel with all of this going on around me. Scary stuff.

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  23. Replies
    1. You go to a place where there are no windows (so glass doesn't break and fly at you), get down on your elbows and knees, and tuck your head between your knees. Then reach back and cover the back of your neck with both of your hands (for neck protection).

      It's incredibly uncomfortable. Both of my kids had to stay this way for an hour. When I was in the tornado in Florida, I had to do it, too. Not fun. Schools have monthly drills, so kids know exactly how to evacuate the classrooms and get in position.

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  24. Poor thing, what a horrible ordeal for you!

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  25. This is why moms are the best thing in the world.

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  26. I am glad that both of you are safe. God Bless!
    Even we had some severe hail storm here, and at the end , we saw many tress fallen down, good fruits all destroyed, and roads blocked.
    Despite so much rain it has not really cooled down.

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