It is not a good thing to get a call from the boys’ school alerting me to an elopement incident, the first in well over a year.

It is not a good thing when a police officer calls to ask how quickly I can be at the school to address the expressions of self-harm that Hoss verbalized when being brought back.

It is not a good thing when the social worker at the pediatric ER recognizes our family on sight.

It is not a good thing when the mobile crisis team is called in.

There are good things. It was a good thing when the staff took Princess (who had to come with me, since she is not safe to be left alone) to a conference room and fed her lunch while I spoke with the principal and the police.

It was a good thing when the counselor agreed to accompany my son when the officer insisted upon taking him to the ER.

It was a good thing when the school psychologist and the principal spoke of my dedication to my children’s safety and mental health, in an effort to make the officer understand that Hoss was not actually a danger to himself.

It is a good thing when I alerted the school that Hoss had been released to come home, and their response to asking if he was allowed back tomorrow was, “Yes! We want him here and expect to see him first thing in the morning.”

It is a good thing that I had already scheduled a family therapy session for 6:00 this evening.

I desperately need more good things.