aidan, the oldest

It is so easy for us to treat Aidan like he is older than his eight (and a half) years. I think this is just part of the deal when you are the oldest. You are given responsibilities sooner, you are asked to act the most mature (not that you always do) and be independent sooner than your siblings. Not all of this is bad of course, I think a lot of it grows some really great leadership qualities in those oldest children but sometimes (like Aidan found out yesterday) the ride can be bumpy.

We were at Target picking up a few odds and inns, all seven of us together. So after we are done checking out the skateboards (which was Luke and Aidan’s request because they want to save their money to buy one) we head over to bedding to pick up some plastic sheets to stock up for when we move Ava to a big-girl bed. Mike and I decide to split up; he will get something in the baby department and I will get the sheets. As we split deciding who will go with whom, we realize that Aidan is not with us.

Since the sheets were back in the direction from which we had come, we figure that I would find him on my way. So I casually call his name as I retrace my steps. I don’t find him. When I meet back up with Mike and realize that he does not have Aidan either, we conclude that Aidan is lost. We call his name a few more times and then we start coming up with a plan (who will take which row) to find our boy.

It is about this time that I hear over the loud speaker, “Will Amy H. please come to the front counter to meet your party.” I walk as fast as I can to that counter to get Aidan. My sweet baby boy is there crying and waiting for me. He is not sobbing, he knows it will be OK, but he is crying because that was really scary for him. I cried too.

Once I get Aidan, we hug hard and he doesn’t want to let go. He also held my hand the whole rest of the time we were in the store. As we walked away from the counter, I got his side of the story.

Aidan was looking at some toys and didn’t follow us right way when we left the toy section (he does have a habit of dilly-dallying and we often are waiting for him to catch up). So we moved on and he was left there. Once he realized that we had left, he tried to find us but couldn’t. So (in tears) he looked for "someone with a nametag." He quickly found a Target employee and told them that he was lost. They asked for our names and took him to the front counter.

I was so pleased that he knew what to do and how to handle the situation. When I told him so a few hours later he responded with a few more tears that he was so glad that I had taught him what to do.

It is because he is the oldest that he was left. We do not move a step without making sure younger Ava and Ethan are with us but it is the other way around with Aidan, he is to keep track of us. However, it is also because he is the oldest that it worked out. He is the one in our family who would remember the day years ago that I taught the kids what to do if they are ever separated from us in a store.

I am thankful for the lesson for all of us, thankful that it all worked out fine and thankful too that I am reminded to re-teach that lesson again to the other kids. Because after all as every yahoo in this town wants to remind me, I do have my hands full.