Last week, we had our very first "oh my god, where is my child?!" moment. We were in the lobby of our gym, getting ready to leave, and Greta was talking to her friend Amy, with whom she had just finished attending a spinning class. Seamus and I had just emerged from the gym's day-care room, and Seamus insisted on running around the lobby, investigating and exploring, rather than being held.
"Oh, wait," I said to Greta, "I forgot the diaper bag in the day-care room. I'll be right back." When I returned from the day-care a moment later, I looked around and asked Greta, "Um, where is Seamus?" She looked at me in horror.
"Oh my god, I forgot I was watching him!" she said, and we scrambled to find him. I had visions of him trapped under a treadmill, pulling 50-lb weights off of a bench, or getting his arm caught in a spinning cycle's wheel. Greta, I later learned, instead had visions of him being abducted by the psychopaths who, TV news assures us, are lurking everywhere at all times.
It turned out he had made a beeline for the women's locker room. Sniff [choking back tears of pride] ... that's my boy!
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4 comments:
And did Jim rush to the 'rescue' and retreive him?
Or did you miss the opportunity?
OMG Jimma: every parent has at least one of these tales of horror; may you not have more than one! I remember the day at the group picnic in Tucker's Grove; you were about Seamus' age; when I thought you were with Dad and he thought you were with me: and you were nowhere; with the creek flowing merrily nearby. We were running madly about, calling your name, and it was a crowded day at the park, and you were nowhere. Finally, tears streaming down my face, I walked along the creek and up the trail: and here was an angel, in the form of a grandfatherly old man, coming down the trail with you clutching his hand.... Heart-wrenching fear turned to glorious relief. But such an adrenalin rush I never hope to have again. (And this is why, every time we took you guys anywhere in a group, we always counted heads in the back of the minibus, to eight, before leaving the place. NB: there's a reason every parent winces on hearing the Gospel about Jesus lost in the Temple .....
Here's some good tips, now that your heartbeat has returned to normal...teach him:
-Always go up to another mommy and ask for help in finding you. A woman with three kids in a grocery store once trekked Tristan up and down the aisles, determinedly and competently, till they found me.
-Tell people "My mom/dad is lost" (rather than "I am lost," which feels more traumatic...the adult hearing this will know what is going on anyway). See above story; Tris said, "Where did you go, Mama? I was so worried!"
Love,
Auntie Teri
Oh Shmoo! I am so glad you are safe!
xxx
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