I'm hoarse from screaming at ds2 - he scared the shit out of me and I let rip

[weebleswobble]

Today ds2 age 11 was supposed to be staying at school for homework club as he does twice a week. The neighbour I do a rota with rang me at 5.20 saying he hadn't come out with the other children at 5 and her child said my ds hadnn't been at homework club.

Cue panic as I rang him and he didn't answer. I rang twice more and his phone was now going straight to answerphone.

I then got in the car and started driving to school in a state of panic, telling ds1 to call me if he turned up. Half way there ds2 calls me and when I ask where he's been, he says he went to football instead and that doesn't finish until 5.15.

He's knows he's only staying late at school twice a week to go to homework club and is then to come out of school straight away to be picked up.

Completely unaware of the panic he's caused, I went ballistic. There's no dressing it up - I completely lost it and screamed like a mad thing about the worry he'd caused. I had to pull over in the car because I was so angry I thought I would crash because of not concentrating and screaming at him at the same time.

How do you get through to them that they have to stick to being where they are supposed to be? I've told him enough times and it seems to be falling on deaf ears

[qwertpoiuy]

Weebleswobble, my heart goes out to you. Thank goodness your son was safe and sound, and it was horrible you went through that worry. At that age, children just don't understand the need for parents to know where they are the whole time and think that just because they know they are safe there's no need to be ringing mum, not realising that if mum can't see him or hear from then she doesn't know for sure he's safe. Well, that's the way I used to think at 11 years old.
Still, he might think twice before shocking you like that again!