Necessity leads to things one would rather not do

I have been very reluctant to allow Alex to come home from school with the group of walkers -- no parent accompanying them. Yesterday, Ryan was SICK with a head cold. That wouldn't normally stop me from putting him in a stroller and walking the trek.

We went to the park in the morning after dropping Alex off and Ryan faded fast. After about 5 minutes, he was acting dizzy, collapsing, etc. I think he had a headache. All I could figure was the poor air quality yesterday combined with the cold made him miserable. So I didn't want to take him out again. And I wanted him to have an uninterrupted nap -- impossible everyday but Wednesday when he gets driven home by a neighbor.

So, I called the school and sent his teacher an email. Alex was allowed to walk home without me. He came straight home. He looked both ways when crossing (the roads I could see from our street). He walked with the group and was basically very proud of himself.

Ryan by the way seems better today, still has a cold but seems able to do all the normal stuff.