I am trying to be calm about this, but need to know what to do.
We share lifts to/from school with 2 other families. It?s just over a 10 minute drive (we?re rural). There are 3 children all aged 4, just started reception.
On a Thurs the 3 children, including DS, are collected by one of the dads T. They would normally be home by 3.35pm. Just before 4pm no DS. Go to my contact list, no mobile number for T (had not noticed this as there are loads of numbers on there for him and his wife, just not a mobile no for T). Ring other mum expecting her DD home. She?s not back either. She has T?s mobile which she tries, no reply repeatedly. I ring school ? they were collected on time. At this point I got very very worried. Rang DH who left work to drive the area leaving me free to stay by the phone. DH in fact wanted me to call the police. Other mum who has no other kids jumped in the car and drove the school route. At 4.20pm (so at least 45 min ?late?) other mum rings to say they?ve just arrived at her house, he?s safe etc. DS then home 5 min later. I just took DS in, didn?t really say anything to T as was completely shocked still.
Apparently he had to go and pick up his younger DD from nursery after collecting the children from school ? this was a last minute change of plan because his wife was deployed on call at work (to put that in context she was being helicoptered about 400 miles away). He says he didn?t have any of our numbers in his phone. He regularly picks up the children on a Thurs so surely he should have our numbers in his phone? Or why didn?t he get the school to call me and other mum? Apparently when he spoke to his wife about change of plans he said he didn?t have numbers and she said she?d text if she got time ? but he knows the nature of her job, and her being ?on call? so surely knew it was possible she wouldn?t have time?! He also said ?this sort of thing happens sometimes in our lives? ? well I can honestly say in 4.5 years of parenting I?ve never been so worried for the safety of my child.
The thing is T and his wife aren?t just school run acquaintances, they are actually friends. If this was just a convenience school run thing I would have hit the roof and pulled out of the arrangement. But our children are friends, we are family friends, our younger 3 children will all be at school together too. But aside from the fact I was worried sick (I really thought the police would be turning up to say there?d been an accident once I found out they had left school on time), DS missed his swimming lesson, and DH left work in a rush over an hour early. And T just didn?t seem to realise quite how irresponsible it was that he didn?t contact us somehow, through the school or something.
Other mum is also a friend of T and his wife, although I only know her through them, but getting to know her more, but only since Sept.
Anyway, what would you do from here? I can?t just leave it can I?
Sorry this is long, have tried to put everything relevant down.