Turns out the kids had taken our chocolate lab, Finn, out for her nightly bathroom trip, and while outside they saw a man standing a little ways down the walking path. And they weren't even sure it was a man, it could of been a shadow, but regardless they told themselves it was a man, got scared and decided to run to the house to get in quickly. My daughter saved the day by bolting in the house and shutting the door on her friends and locking the door, hence the girl screaming! But I didn't know that at the time. It's funny what your natural reaction is to fear. I always thought that in a moment of real distress I would handle with myself with intelligence, dignity and class. But in reality, I have gotten scared enough times to know that I handle myself quite the opposite.
I have a stepson, and about 5 years ago he lived with us. We lived right next to his school then so he would walk home from school. Our daughter however got re districted to a school all the way across town, so every day I would go pick her up, and then get home to Tommy and usually a friend already there. At least twice a week Tommy would hide behind something and jump out at me when I walked in the front door. And even though I knew to expect it, he scared me every time. Like, bad. Heart attack. And then later our daughter Tatum caught on and went through a long phase of also hiding behind things to jump out at me and scare me as well. And every time it worked - they were both sneaky. They knew my routine and would wait a long time for me somewhere. If they knew I was going to take a bath soon, one of them would hide in the bathtub and not even jump out at me. Just stay there. For me to open the shower curtain and actually find someone there. You know how we all have the fear of someone psychotic waiting for us in the shower.
I have a stepson, and about 5 years ago he lived with us. We lived right next to his school then so he would walk home from school. Our daughter however got re districted to a school all the way across town, so every day I would go pick her up, and then get home to Tommy and usually a friend already there. At least twice a week Tommy would hide behind something and jump out at me when I walked in the front door. And even though I knew to expect it, he scared me every time. Like, bad. Heart attack. And then later our daughter Tatum caught on and went through a long phase of also hiding behind things to jump out at me and scare me as well. And every time it worked - they were both sneaky. They knew my routine and would wait a long time for me somewhere. If they knew I was going to take a bath soon, one of them would hide in the bathtub and not even jump out at me. Just stay there. For me to open the shower curtain and actually find someone there. You know how we all have the fear of someone psychotic waiting for us in the shower.
We have a cat named Lucy who is a ninja. She is black and was an alley cat, or an alley kitten to be exact, who just decided to adopt us. I guess she was malnourished because she never has gotten very big. She makes no noise when she moves and only walks through the house behind furniture and up against the wall. So you never really know where she is. Oh my goodness. I have found her in cabinets (I don't even want to know). Under-UNDER-piles of laundry, in our closets, up in the attic, when I don't know she is in the attic. Do you know what it is like to go up in a scary dark attic and open a box and see something in there with eyes looking back at you?!?!?!
And speaking of cats. We used to have a frisky black and white tomcat named Jack. One winter night I went to the store, and when I got home I got the fright of my life. On the porch, was Jack, playing with a live mouse. Gak!! There was no way that I was getting out of that car - I had to go across the porch to get into the house, and Jack was the kind of cat that would put it in his mouth - alive - and come to greet me, and probably set the mouse down on my feet. And then I would die. My plan B was to just lay on the horn until my husband and step son came out to shoo the cat away.
And speaking of mice. This past winter, we had a mouse in our house. Lucy actually caught it and killed it - I was so proud of her! But apparently the mouse was a new mother, and her babies got hungry after awhile. Also, this was Sunday night, and sometimes on Sunday night our church youth group decided to board the church bus and go surprise members of their youth group who do not attend Sunday night youth. They strongly encourage these kids (let's just call them slackers) to board the bus with them and help them make their rounds. So there I am, a relaxing Sunday evening, sitting in the living room in my trusty recliner, on the phone with my mom, slacker Tatum sitting next to me. When out of the wall come way too many teeny tiny almost cute baby mice. They are not afraid of us or anything, they are running all over the floor trying to find something to eat. Lucy was there, watching them, totally ignoring them - the traitor!! I responded in a calm mature fashion by getting out of my chair and running around the room screaming at my mother who was still on the phone. And that is when the church youth group rang our doorbell. They even came in our house! In the living room! I don't remember but I guess the baby mice got scared by all the activity and ran back into the wall. You know how on movies, someone will take a drag off of a cigarette and then someone will walk in and the smoker has to hold their breath so the other person will not know that they are smoking? That is exactly how I felt with all those teenagers in the room. Holding the panic in!!
I do have one story where I come out the victor. A couple of years ago, in the summer, I had some tween girls at my house. They were trying to scare each other with different scary stories - not in a nice way. They were really being obnoxious and mean to each other. So I asked them if I could tell a story. I told them the classic about the kids on their way to the prom after dark - on a country road. They encounter a girl standing on the side of the road crying, wearing an old fashioned prom dress...you all know the story. It sure did shut them up! Kids are fun.
I tried to scare the kids at our Halloween party last year, but it didn't really work. I found a baby carriage in our attic and put an old scary doll in it and left it on the porch right in front of the front door. I rung the doorbell and jumped into the bushes waiting for the screaming. Nope. Nothing. They opened the door, one girl said, "That's creepy." And that was the end of that. I think I am destined to always be the girl getting scared, never the other way around.
My kids have grown out of scaring me, thank goodness. However, this week I get to restart working at church with 4th-6th graders at night. So I need to hone my defense - that is the age to like to scare people. I have a feeling I will be in for it!
Why Work So Hard To Fit In,
When You Were Called To Be Set Apart?
2 Corrinthians 6:17
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