[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