A mothers worst nightmare

[The Dwaff Family]

Well was my sons first ride on his new bike. I had to take DD to athletics club 9 miles away so the boys thought they would cycle over say hello and then do the return journey home.
This was son half way when he met us into their 18mile ride.



Took them 40 mins to meet up with us and left at 7.30 to cycle home.

Well, myself, DD and DS1 went and got chips, got home at 8.50, I saw the house was pitch black and panicked straight away, the boys should have been home atleast 40 mins before rest of us got in.Tried ringing them, nothing. At this point both myself and DS2 are crying our eyes out thinking they are in a ditch somewhere. Tried ringing again got connected but no speaking, just breathing noises which just made me think they are badly injured somewhere through The Brickhills in the pitch black. Some more crying from us, I ring back again and finally he speaks!! The heavy breathing earlier was him who'd been running the last 3 miles as had a puncture with our son tootling along with no lights on his bike, just a few on his dads they finally arrived home at 9.20pm and I have never, ever been more relieved in my entire life!
Apparently they had tried ringing me but unbeknown to me, my network is down and cannot make or receive calls on my mobile.

So, not how my DS1's first ride out on his bike was meant to go and he's not keen to repeat it anytime soon and I never want to experience that level of worry ever again.

I did ask OH if he's learnt anything, think he'll never, ever forget to go out without a spare inner tube ever again

 

[fossyant]

Don't panic so much. Make sure they know to either text or leave a message on both home phone and mobile is delayed. Puncture kit, tube and pump essential.

Most of the time, when kids don't arrive back on time is that they have gone to the shop !

 

[The Dwaff Family]

They'd left to make sure they got home before it got dark so wasn't expecting them to have gone anywhere else. I guess my mobile phone network going down has whats led to my sheer panic and distress as they had tried to call.

He had a pump and repair kit, but repair failed, should have taken his spare inner tubes.

I'm just not cut out for my children riding on the road, I was a complete wreck

 

[Arjimlad]

I didn't know what to expect reading the title to this thread.
It is a horrid feeling when they are not where you expect them to be !
Perhaps a call to your landline would have been better but these days we are so mobile-orientated.

With AVG antivirus on my son's phone I can track it via GPS from a computer. It might have helped you to be able to do this so just in case it helps reassure you for the future, you might look into this sort of facility. Last time he lost the phone I tracked it to under his duvet.

 

[The Dwaff Family]

It happened when I was also out, he had tried to also ring the landline but we weren't in at the time either and network was down on my mobile
I will look into that, thanks, as I never want to have that feeling again when he's out with one of the kiddies.

 

[Sara_H]

I didn't know what to expect reading the title to this thread.
It is a horrid feeling when they are not where you expect them to be !
Perhaps a call to your landline would have been better but these days we are so mobile-orientated.

With AVG antivirus on my son's phone I can track it via GPS from a computer. It might have helped you to be able to do this so just in case it helps reassure you for the future, you might look into this sort of facility. Last time he lost the phone I tracked it to under his duvet.

How do you do that? My son has just got his first mobile phone (specifically so I can track him down when he's out with his pals).
Trouble is, I'm finding he rarely anwers the blummin thing. Mnd you, I was warned this would be the case by the OH who has 3 lovely non phone answering teens!

 

[Arjimlad]

If you download AVG free antivirus app (a good idea anyway given the way my son uses his smartphone) you can register an anti-theft thingummy to an email account.

You can then log into their website and send various messages to your phone, locate it via GPS, make it squeal even if on silent (which I guess may come in handy for the occasional practial joke once my son becomes interested in girls! ), or to lock it.