Hit The Showers, Kid

The phrase “Can you hear me now?” has taken on new meaning in the Lehning household after yesterday.

Sean had participated in a reading program at his day school.  If he read so many minutes or so many books, he earned a field trip to a baseball game.

Yesterday was the day….

We’ve been having the worst weather in the Chicagoland area… rainy, cold, windy.  The fact that we awoke to a day that was none of those made us feel like winners before the first pitch was thrown.

Of course, any change in schedule for Sean involves multiple calls and emails for me.  True, he was currently attending mainstream classes at the junior high and therefore, should have missed the trip.  However, this was a prize that Sean had been working towards for several weeks.

Thus, I was determined to make sure Sean got to the game.

Emails went out beforehand to verify dates and times; a phone call to the bus company to verify that they would pick him up at home on the morning of the game; another to the bus company when they were late; a call in to the junior high to excuse him for the day; and finally a call into his day school to let them know that the bus had arrived.

After all of this, Sean was finally on his way.

Seven hours later he was home safe and sound with a new t-shirt in hand.

“Sean, how was the game?”

I prepared myself for some version of “great.”

He walked over to where I was sitting, bent down to my ear and said…

“It sucked.”

He then told me about the zero to zero tie and how he had to sit on a wet seat.

Oh, and he made sure to tell me that he would have rather been in school.

Gratitude…gotta love it.

I had an important meeting that night and having worked out during the day, I decided now that all of my chickadees were home I would take a shower.

Showering without interruption is simply something I can’t do.  Ashley… expected.  Carissa… not so much.  Sean?  Is that Sean I hear at the door?  Is he crying?

“Sean, come in.  I can’t hear you.”

My son opened the door and was sobbing.  He’s convinced that the boys yelling next to him at the baseball game have caused permanent hearing loss.

Yes… permanent.  Sean is absolutely convinced.  He’s screaming.

I try telling him that his father is a Metallica fan and that after every concert Daddy’s ears act a little strange.

Sean will neither listen nor stop his tirade against the boys.

“Mom, you don’t understand!”

I grab my sea-themed shower curtain, hold it tight against me, and poke my head out to see him.

“Sean, it will be ok.  Talk to your dad when he gets home.”

Sean ignores me and walks out of the bathroom still upset over the damage the screaming boys have done to him.

For a moment I panic and try to figure out what I can leave half-washed to go calm him down.

And then I realize that he closed the door.

He closed the door…..

With that one simple thing, I knew he’d be ok.

He was going to get through it on his own.

Yep, that's what I said. 

Can you hear me now?