Aged 50 years today--3YO took off without me

[Oh Haha]

First off, our daughter is fine and probably not even fazed by the whole incident, thank God.
My wife had to work today.

My 2 kids were playing in the yard this afternoon while I was installing an interior door in the house. I was in and out of the garage and I was checking on them every so often. They were in the shed playing "Shrek" or something. I wnet into the house to answer my mobile phone. It was my wife, calling on her break. I wander when I talk on a phone so I was in and out of the house. After the call ended, I went upstairs to use the bathroom. My son came running up saying that Sarah had went "out in the parking lot". Not sure what to make of it, I asked him to tell me what he meant. He said "c'mon Dad, I'll show you". We went out and I saw the gate to the driveway open. He told me Sarah went to the park on the road. They have hid on me in the past so I really thought they were playing a game and she would pop out of the bushes and try to scare me. We walked to the end of our street, about 200 yards but nothing happened. He still insisted that she went down the road. I told him to stop messing around and tell me where she is. "But Dad, I am telling you".At this time, I thought maybe he is telling me the truth. I called the folks across the street and told them briefly what was going on and that I was going to run around the block and see. They did the same. I no sooner turned the corner from our street to the next and I saw 3 police cars and a crowd. To say my heart sank is an understatement. I pulled up and saw my little girl just sitting on the curb as content as can be.

A neighbor behind us called the police to report a 2YO walking down the sidewalk by herself. Once I got done hugging her(good thing I had shades on), the PO started asking me questions. I was so shook up I couldn't even remember her middle name or her birthday. WTH?!!! The PO even asked if I was her biological father.

Our yard is completely fenced in but the one gate DIDN'T have a lock on it. It does now.

What a scary experience. I was NOT looking forward to telling my wife when she got home but we got through it ok. I fully expected her to be upset with me as we have "discussed" whether or not we need to stay right on top of the kids when they are out in the yard. I guess I have now lost that argument.

Not looking for advice or to get beat up for being a horrible parent, I just needed to share my story. I know I made a mistake and we are very lucky.

[VaSteve]

Man, I feel for you. I live on a relatively "safe" cul de sac and I hate having the kids out of my sight while I'm in and out of the garage. They don't play outside without me....they don't want to. I gave them an old "muffler" (catalytic converter) to bang on today while I did something with the car. I couldn't see them, but could sure hear the racket.

[Laneco]

I suspect this has happened at least once to every one of us...

It is absolutely terrifying. There is nothing on the planet that can send you from relaxed to heart-thudding panic faster than that.

When our son Ryan was about 3 and home with our daughter and Steve, he wandered out the front door. Then merrily down the sidwalk and onto a good sized feeder street (4 lanes...) that was a short distance away. He walked right out into the street...

Some kindly elderly lady stopped, picked him up and put him in her car. She sat there with her 4 ways on and called the police. About this time, Steve is in a full panic and running, calling for Ryan. Police and Steve find the lady/our son at about the same time. Quite a few pointed questions. Steve was alternately terrified, grateful and ashamed.

Before I even got home, he had installed a dead bolt that needed a key from both sides on the front door and external padlocks on both the yard gates.

I don't think he had a single gray hair on his head until that day. Not much scares my husband, but that really did it...

angela

[MT930]

Don't beat yourself up, kids do that stuff. I did it to my folks and my kid's have done it to me. Scares the crap out of you !

[gr8fl4porsche]

See a previous thread.

GPS watch for kids

[wcc]

I feel for ya. It happens around here WAY to often... Last time we were camping on lake superior and I took off on my dirt bike. Joey followed me on foot for about a mile and I didn't even know it. About an hour later I ran across a van stuck in the sand because they were looking for a little boy. I helped push them out and later I found out they were looking for my son, joey. Karma I guess, but I'm glad it all turned out ok....

[Jim Bremner]

what the fuss?

it's not like the TWO of you can't make another one!


My EX-wife lost my son in BELIZE! while on vacation, he was 9!

[VINMAN]

I lost my grandson at Typhoon Lagoon in Disney World for about 10 mins. The most terrifying 10 mins of my life! He was right next to me as we were getting stuff out of a locker. I turned away for a few secs , I looked down, he was gone. Nowhere to be found. I ran around screaming for him like a maniac. Found him with one of the workers crying his eyes out. I was too relieved to even get mad at him for wandering away.

[bell]

It sucks and I'm glad everything worked out ok.......
But why would the back neighbor call the cops instead of actually going out and helping the child? If that was me I'd be right next to the kid until the parent was found.....

[Dantilla]

Originally Posted by laneco

i suspect this has happened at least once to every one of us...

It is absolutely terrifying.

+1.

[Oh Haha]

Originally Posted by bell

It sucks and I'm glad everything worked out ok.......
But why would the back neighbor call the cops instead of actually going out and helping the child? If that was me I'd be right next to the kid until the parent was found.....

They did stay with her until the police arrived. I just didn't get to tell them thanks as the crowd dispersed when I showed up. I am tempted to ask for the caller's name so I can thank them in person. It wasn't the neighbor directly behind us. Our kids don't run around the neighborhood so I would imagine that the folks wouldn't even know that she lives here.

All total, I think the entire incident probably lasted around 15 minutes. Yes, long enough for something bad but it sure felt like hours to me.

I did tell my son that he did good by telling me right away that she left. We have taught our kids to run across the street if we have a fire or something bad happens.

[Tobra]

When I was a lad of about the same age as your daughter, I wandered off on my parents in the town of Scottsbluff, NE. The police see a little kid walking down the sidewalk on the main street, and took me to their station. They ply me with ice cream, but I am not spilling on my name. After about half an hour of this, the postman arrives to deliver the mail. I say, "Hey Adam," as he happens to be my Uncle Adam, he says, "Toby what are you doing here?" The cops ask if he knows this kid, and he tells them who I am. They take me back to my grandparents house, where I was ostensibly playing in the backyard. They had not even missed me yet.

[Oh Haha]

I called my Mom after to help myself calm down a bit. She almost laughed as apparently I did something similar.

I packed a suitcase when I was about 6 or 7 and hoofed it down the road, running away. She let me go.

"I knew you'd come back", she said. She raised 6 kids so I guess she had some experience.

[Tobra]

The new gray hair will make you look distinguished.

[9dreizig]

that is exactly why I outfitted my kids with invisible fence collars.. yeah I know they are for pets,, but kids figure it out quickly too and then they NEVER leave the yard!!

[Hugh R]

Originally Posted by 9dreizig

that is exactly why I outfitted my kids with invisible fence collars.. yeah I know they are for pets,, but kids figure it out quickly too and then they NEVER leave the yard!!

The kind that deliver a shock? Coooool!

Yeah I've been there myself as a four year old when my triplet sisters and I "jailbroke" the house through the basement window and went to the park.

I was in a hot tub with my buddy, my wife and his wife and I turned around and saw my sons arms sticking up, I pulled him up and he coughed up a bunch of water, and he was right next to me and he was 3 or 4. We've all done it. Not that it makes it right. Glad everything turned out OK.

[Don Plumley]

Yup, happened to us with our daughter - about 4. In one of those huge mini-golf, video places. In the tube-maze play structure. We couldn't find her, thought she walked out of the area - or worse. Turns out she was sitting in a tower, happily babbling away. Both my wife and I aged ten years in ten minutes.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Scariest thing you could experience. My son once disappeared on me at a crowded mall. For maybe a minute I looked for him, until my wife showed up with son in tow. She had walked down a hall to the restrooms, and when I turned away he took off after her. She thought I knew he was coming with her so she didn't yell. Probably the most helpless and scary minute of my life.

[cstreit]

Had trouble finding my son twice. Absolutely the longest few minutes of my life. Damn near every parent that I've talked to has been through it .

Don't beat yourself up. Just learn and lock dem gates now ya heah?

[LeeH]

When my daughter was younger we were at one of the indoor play centers at the mall. All of a sudden a woman started freaking out. She was absolutely terrified as she couldn't find her daughter. The mom gave a description of her daughter and what she was wearing in a loud voice and numerous other parents started fanning out from the play area. This only lasted about two minutes as a guy looked in a stroller and found the girl just sitting there under the sun shade with a big grin on her face. Yes, it was her stroller. Everybody was quite relieved.

Statistically, when a child goes missing the outcome will be good. Someday I'd like to turn on the news and hear them say, "35 million children went to school today and returned safely."