OMG you poor thing. I bet you just aged 10 years. It happened to a FB friend of mine recently too, her 2yo daughter said she was going to "see her friends" when they found her on the next street over.
Ugh, what a feeling. I'm sorry it happened. But everyone is fine, no one's going to come take her away, and it happens. Just do your best to shake it off.
Awww - Don't be so hard on yourself. YES, it was scary but it's over and you and your dd are fine. I bet you will get a lot of anecdotes from moms here losing their kiddos. I lost mine at the beach - this was 9 years ago and it was only for 10 minutes mind you and I remember it like yesterday and it still makes me a little sick to my stomach thinking about it.
Seriously, my mom once left me at the grocery store. I went to look at some books and she just forgot she had brought me with her until she got home. I was a little freaked out but it is just one of those things. DCFS is not coming for you. You went running after her. These things happen.
Aww. This kind of thing happens. Don't beat yourself up. As soon as you figured it out, you did what only a good momma would do...you went looking for your baby.
Post by AHappierHour on Jun 5, 2013 9:20:58 GMT -5
don't be so hard on yourself. Stuff happens and everyone is right you do learn from it. I lost DS once in Nordstrom. The little shit was hiding in a clothes rounder. It was awful.
Jack did something to us a couple weeks ago. Same scenerio. Both though he was with the other parent. H was walking the dog and Jack decide to go wander and find him !!!!??
Thank god H turned around and realized it a block into the walk. OMG, I shudder to think about if he wouldn't have turned around. I was inside and obliviously putting Leo to bed.
Don't beat yourself up. This stuff happens all the time.
My sister was a boltergeist growing up, and she did it nude. She'd strip down and take off. Sometimes unnoticed. I usually told my parents (I was younger, like 2?) but apparently I also would go with.
Don't beat yourself up about it. These things happen, sometimes it's just a kids prerogative to bolt & wander, and they can be sneaky about it.
Oh man, try not to beat yourself up. Accidents happen.
To ease your mind in the future, do you have a fenced backyard? I put a lock on my gate so DS can't escape (he is an escape artist/runner). She is young, but DS and I spent about a half hour one day, at that age, walking back and forth on the sidewalk. I picked the sidewalk joint at either end of our property and each time we got to it said "NO CROSSING" , turned him around and did it again.
When I was 8, my parents dropped me off at CCD class (Catholic equivalent to Sunday School, usually on Wednesday nights). They didn't realize there was no class that week and drove off and I was locked out of the building all by myself. My mom worked at the hospital across the street, so I went there and called them. They felt awful. We all fuck up sometimes.
My aunt recently told me that she was outside in her garden one morning and saw a toddler walking down the middle of the road. She didn't see any adults around and the child couldn't tell her where she lived. So, my aunt went door to door, trying to find the parents. It turned out that she lived around the corner and got out through the unlocked front door.
The other involves me. It was right after that little boy was kidnapped from a mall in Miami and later found dead. I was about 4 or 5 and my mom took me to the mall, also in FL, but a few hours north. She turned her head for a second and when she looked back, I was gone. She freaked out, started looking for me, and when security became involved, she couldn't remember what I was wearing she was so upset.
I was hiding in one of the clothes racks the whole time and boy did I get into trouble. After she hugged me for about 30 minutes from relief. lol
Post by sparkythelawyer on Jun 5, 2013 9:39:11 GMT -5
Oof, don't sweat this. One year, my cousin and his wife were greeted at 8am on Christmas morning to two police officers escorting their 4 year old daughter home. Who got up much earlier than usual, wandered outside, in just a nightgown, and started singing christmas carols to the neighbors. They are both wonderful parents. Shit happens.
Once when I was a kid, I jumped on an elevator when my mom was getting something from her bag. The hotel had 25 floors.
It happens.
I'm so sorry. I would have a sick feeling too. Hang in there.
Oh my god, I would die!
My whole family was vacationing there. Apparently it was a nightmare. I got off on another floor. Police, security...The whole shebang were called. I was found by security on another floor. Could you imagine? Ugh. My poor mom.
My sister was a boltergeist growing up, and she did it nude. She'd strip down and take off. Sometimes unnoticed. I usually told my parents (I was younger, like 2?) but apparently I also would go with.
Don't beat yourself up about it. These things happen, sometimes it's just a kids prerogative to bolt & wander, and they can be sneaky about it.
Was I your babysitter?
There was a little girl I baby sat for who loved to strip naked and run. Her parents finally installed an alarm so it would chime when she would open the door and we could find her right away. There were a few early teenage heart attacks before they did that. I think she was somewhere between 2 and 4 when the running away naked started. There was a busy street in front of the house too. Ugh.
aeg- you aren't a bad mom at all. I am so happy DS can't manage to reach the elevator button so when he runs out of our condo he is trapped on our floor.
kids are little slippery bastards. everyone is okay. stop beating yourself up.
OMG, for real. David loves to "hide" in stores. Oh helllll no. I put an end to that real quick. I'm sorry, aeg. Definitely don't beat yourself up, it could happen to any of us.
DS ran off last week. When I found him he got a time out that I doubt he will forget in the near future. He was walking a little ahead of me and I thought he stopped at the corner to talk with some kids but he turned and kept going. No street crossing but was two buildings back on the other side.
My parent's neighbors kid his during nap time after opening be front door. Before they found him an hour later hiding in fear under the tableclothed table, they had police walking the neighborhood, checking each car leaving the island at the bridge, and a police boat checking the canal.
Don't beat yourself up-everything turned out fine!
When my brother was little he got "lost"-nobody could find him. My parents were running around the neighborhood, the cops were called-eventually he was found sleeping BEHIND THE COUCH.
That is terrifying when that happens. My son was 4 when he decided he was bored and wanted to go to school with his big brother and sisters. They found him about halfway to the school. XH was home at the time and had no idea he was gone. A neighbor knew who he belonged to. Thankfully I was at work and had no idea at the time. I remember how I felt when I found out after the fact so I can only imagine what you must have been going through during.
lilafowler - that reminds me of the time my sister got "lost" too. We lived in the country on seven acres of oranges in a big house with a veranda and lots of plants. My mother had a double-armoire with a vanity that little sis liked to sleep under like it was a cave. Everyone was tearing up the house looking for her when I asked "did anyone look under the veranda?" so the entire family went out to beat the ferns and hostas. I went into my parents bedroom and there she was asleep under the vanity just like I'd told them or so I thought. I had no idea why they were all outside until they told me. I always got the two confused.
I got lost (wandered off) three times within 20 minutes at Disney when I was little. The third time I wasn't technically lost but the security guy thought I was because I apparently *looked* lost. He was leading me off when my mom turned around and started to freak thinking I was being kidnapped.