The Dreaded Phone Call

Ok, I have been getting bugged to post a new blog. However, with work, and seminary, and my computer hog teenage son, I never have a chance. But, I cannot pass up the opportunity to tell this tale. After raising five children, three of which are boys, I have felt pretty lucky that I have never received those dreaded phone calls-like your child is in the hopstial or at the police station. Of course, we did get that one terrifying call that our kids had been in an accident and totaled the car in Iowa on their way back to BYU, but all in all, I am grateful. So now I am approaching the finish line, with Alex a senior in high school, and I am feeling pretty confident and cocky that all is well. And then I got the dreaded phone call. The call from the vice principal while I am at work that goes like this: Hello this is Mr. Eldred, the vice principal at Avon High. I have your son Alex sitting here in the office with me. We had a random drug search today and the dogs searched the lockers and the cars! (Now about this time, my heart is in my feet and is alternating between being stopped and pounding vigorously) Then he says, oh by the way, I should tell you that your son is not in trouble. Well I guess I should have told you that first! (Well yeah I think you should have because I just about had a heart attack) Well to make a long story short, the dogs sniffed out Alex's car. He had to open the trunk for them to check it. On the way to the car, the Principal and the other vice principal who have known all five kids and knows Terra and our family, was laughing at the policeman for even thinking that Alex would have drugs in his car. The principal even pointed out the BYU sticker and the fact that Alex would someday be a "pastor". The first thing they see in this teenage boy's car is a toy ball, various other toys, little boys clothes, and even a shoe. They had fun laughing at that stuff. (Tonya had left that behind and we did not know what to do with it so we left it in the car!) Then they saw the goods.. the contraband that is illegal to have on campus ...the axe! Yes, it was an axe. The Boy Scouts had borrowed our axe, I had Alex's car and opened the trunk and told them to put it in there , shut the trunk and left it there. Of course the authorities asked Alex if he knew it was illegal to have it and why it was there. Then the Principal and Vice principal that knew us, spent the time on the way back into the school convincing the others of reasons why Alex should not be punished and not expelled. Once back in the office, the secretaries were shocked into silence(quite a feat if you know these ladies) upon learning that Alex had to speak to the VP. So, I got the call and had to explain why the axe was in the car. It got confiscated and the next day Terry had to go to school and get the axe. Meanwhile, back on the school campus, Alex has the reputiton of being the axe man! We are no longer the family of goodie two shoes-our reputation has been soiled. Not since the time of Nicholas and his toilet papering issue, have we been so tarnished! And just when I was approaching the finish line!