Have you ever lost your kid?
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Have you ever lost your kid?
| Tue, 11-27-2007 - 8:23pm |
I was reading a post at the Parenting Issues Debate board and the poster said that anyone who lost a kid, even for a few seconds, is an irresponsible parent and basically deserves the anguish and agony of losing the kid.

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To answer my own question...
I've lost Tom twice.
Ho Boy, I think I need to sit on my hands for that thread.
What about if you have a school that looses a kid? Is that the parents fault as well?
Those who have been around a number of years will remember what we went through with this. Cait was a horrible wanderer. Even up to 5th grade they were misplacing her at school. Usually she would miss the lunch bell and be in the library or art room and her teacher would find her pretty quick.
The worst was in 3rd grade when she wandered the school for over an hour after school and NO ONE did anything. No one thought this ODD! Cait was supposed to be in an afterschool program that day only her teacher couldn't be bothered to make sure she got there and the receiving teacher just assumed she hadn't come to school. I don't know about the adults that were on campus after school as she wandered around and then the neighborhood.....ok, better stop.
Fortunately due to Cait and Mike's propensity for public troubles we were on high alert at all times and often just didn't venture or did with both of us. Often I just didn't go so I was lucky never to lose her or Mike due to their early childhood challenges.
HOWEVER, I did loose emily once. Closed down the entrance to costco and everything. Emily was never a wanderer at all. She was always so easy. It was christmas time at costco and really crowded. Mike was being extra challenging and cait a flake. Dave was hyper and every where. Well Emily got distracted by a doll house and the one we expected to be there when we turned around wasn't. She got disoriented which direction she thought we were in and went the other way. I ran to the front of the store to tell the manager who shut off the exits and John went in the other direction. A page went out and just as it did some nice older lady was walking her back and trying to find her parents. She was 4 at the time.
Mom to Erin (19) and Haley (10yo Aspie)
Mom to Erin (19) and Haley (10yo Asp
I can remember two times vividly.
One time, Henry was 2 1/2 or 3. I was shopping at Babies R Us with my friend who also had her 2 kids with her--2 1/2 year-old and a 5-year-old. I turned down an aisle, looked back, and FREAKED OUT because Henry was not in my sight. Fortunately, it was late morning and we were pretty much the only people in the store. I walked back to where I was, and Henry was still there. I think it was the first time I had ever let him walk instead of ride at the store. As soon as I got to him, I picked him up and put him in the cart. He still rides in the cart when I go shopping now. He is 7.
The next time, I was at that aforementioned friend's dd's birthday party at McDonald's. She had asked me to dress up in a Snow White costume so I did. I was reading Snow White to the children when I noticed Henry had left the play area. I ran into the restaurant area and was hollering for him. He was NOWHERE. About one minute later, a dad with his two children walked into the restaurant with Henry and told me that he had been in the parking lot. I went ballistic. I was so ANGRY and so relieved. I'm sure there are several children that are still afraid of Snow White to this day. Henry was almost 4.
hehehehe I have heard that Snow White story before and it still cracks me up!
Peter was a bolter/wanderer. I have had to drop everything and sprint after him more times than I care to remember (and hastily shove Siobhan into some bewildered mom's arms!).
visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
I've lost my youngest 3 kids more than I care to remember. Guess maybe you should take my parenting license away,LOL. When I had 4 and then 5 little ones I would dress them all alike, usually in orange t-shirts and jeans or orange striped t-shirts and khaki shorts. That way I didn't have to remember what they were wearing and it was easy to pick them out in a crowd. My friends laughed-- but most of them had the perfect "hold your hand type" kids.
Weston was a wonderer from early-- 14 months on. He would fit in tiny spaces and would hide or run whenever he got overwhelmed. We had to go find him several times when we'd be at friends and think he was playing w/ his older brother or sister to find that he'd gone to find mom or dad and had been missing for 10+ min. He'd be off down the street or wandering in the garden or under the deck. Only 2x did we have to call the police and have the neighborhood out searching (once he'd fallen asleep behind our neighbors garage). I lost him in stores often-- it was difficult because he wouldn't respond to his name or he'd run away from strangers. That was the time I started grocery shopping late at night when DH was home to be w/ the kids.
Owen was a bolter. At age 18 mon to about 3 1/2 yrs he thought it was funny to run away from Mom and Dad. We had to teach him the Red light game. He could run and play but if we called RED LIGHT he had to stop and freeze. If you shouted anything else he'd run faster, but he would stop and play the game if we yelled RED LIGHT. Good thing cause he could run FAST!
Yes, a lot of smaller incidents.
Mollie
I almost lost my kids once. We were at a family wedding reception. I'd been hired as the photographer, so I was taking photos. DH and the rest of my family all assumed each other were watching the boys. My sister happened to come out of the ladies room and saw them in the church vestibule getting ready to head outside. The really frustrating part was that two older ladies were in the process of going out as well and were going to just let them go out - who in their right mind opens the door for an unattended 4 yo and 18 mo ??? I didn't find out about it until later, but I was shakey then thinking about what might have happened.
Luckily I haven't lost one in a store yet (knock on wood) other than him maybe wanding a few feet away but I always spot him right away. but I just recently started letting the 4yo walk rather than ride in the cart so he hasn't had a lot of opportunities yet.
I, on the other hand, got lost all the time as a kid. I was always running off from my mom, getting lost, hiding inside clothing racks. It wasn't that my mom didn't watch me - I was just very sneaky and quick and wandered off.
I haven't read that post, but just hearing about makes my blood boil. I know very few moms who haven't had one of their kids wander off at some point. Goes with the territory. Just wait - that lady will have it happen to her soon - now that she made such comments, it's in her karma to experience it herself. =)
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