Lost on a cold, wet night

Austin and Melissa went to see Avatar last night, at Park & Tilford cinemas. Skye and I dropped them off with $40 cash and two bus tickets to get home. We showed them the bus stop at Brooksbank and Cotton, and told them they could catch bus #232 or #239 to Phibbs Exchange, then transfer to the 211, 212 or C15 from there.

The movie finished at 9:20, they went to the bus stop and waited for 10 minutes, then started walking to Phibbs. They didn't get far, when their bus arrived and drove past them. So, they continued to walk to Phibbs (about 700m). Austin said that when they arrived at Phibbs, the bus loop was "deserted," so Austin suggested that they just keep on walking. They walked a total of about 3km in the direction of home, in the dark and in the rain. Then, they called us.

We were visiting with Neil & Jen in Kitsilano when the phone rang. Skye answered and I could hear Austin's voice saying, cheerfully, "Dad, I think we're lost." Fortunately, the two of them were in good spirits while they waited for us to pick them up.

We explained to Austin that it's better to wait at the bus stop for longer, than to try walking home in the dark. He insisted that the walk was good for them, he got in his daily exercise, and he could have walked all the way home, because he knows the way. Even though we told him it was a 7km walk, he still felt confident he could have walked home.

It was so nice that both Austin and Melissa were in good spirits after their ordeal. Austin really seems to be experiencing a boost in confidence recently. We just have to help guide him with using good judgment along the way.