It takes 10 seconds
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@Mik said in It takes 10 seconds:
That's a long way for a 2 year old.
Yes. Quite.
I’m so glad she was found 89th! Time really does slow down in that moment, doesn’t it?! You’ll never forget this evening. My gosh. So scary.My moment happened when my son was 3, in a small department store, when he climbed out of his stroller as I was paying for stuff. I turned my back for a moment. The store was packed, smack dab downtown with 3 exits out to: 1) the train platform, 2) the drug-users & noontime office madness street fest, or 3) the busy street with multiple bus stops & taxis. My heart literally stopped. The only thing I thought to do was yell: “[His Name]! Stay where you are! Don’t You Move!” .. or something like that. Then the cashiers & security got involved. Somewhere, near the train exit, someone found him hiding under a rack of scarves. He was oblivious to my state of panic.
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@Mik said in It takes 10 seconds:
That's a long way for a 2 year old.
Yes. Quite.
I’m so glad she was found 89th! Time really does slow down in that moment, doesn’t it?! You’ll never forget this evening. My gosh. So scary.My moment happened when my son was 3, in a small department store, when he climbed out of his stroller as I was paying for stuff. I turned my back for a moment. The store was packed, smack dab downtown with 3 exits out to: 1) the train platform, 2) the drug-users & noontime office madness street fest, or 3) the busy street with multiple bus stops & taxis. My heart literally stopped. The only thing I thought to do was yell: “[His Name]! Stay where you are! Don’t You Move!” .. or something like that. Then the cashiers & security got involved. Somewhere, near the train exit, someone found him hiding under a rack of scarves. He was oblivious to my state of panic.
@blondie Oh man that scenario is so much worse! I at least had the "comfort" knowing that my daughter was somewhere in the crowd in a parking lot that is connected to the police and fire department.
My mental gymnastics even now is trying not to think of what my daughter was going through as she walked in the crowd, lost, not knowing where her mom/dad were. I'd like to think she was walking merrily along but really I'm guessing her whole world was starting to crumble around her in confusion. Probably even worse if the kid is a tad older and "knows" what they are missing, like @jon-nyc 's at Disney.
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seconding and thirding (etc) all of the above comments.
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In my family ( meaning my sibs) Its been almost comical how they never let me forget that I got lost twice. Once at sea world in Florida at ge 5 where my mother thought I fell into a shark tank, I don’t know how long I was missing but I was found at some point. Then at age 7 when I was taught if I get lost to tell a policeman (I obviously wandered a lot as a kid..still do, I think) I got lost at jfk in what was then the international arrivals hall, and me being the smart one approached someone in a uniform thinking it’s a policemen an (later I figured it out that he was a cleaning janitor) who took me to the info stand and soon heard over the PA will the parents of bachophile please come get their kid (that would never happen now, no public calls of names) and I was found.
My sibs still remind me and it’s been 60 years. -
I forgot to update ya'll. Last weekend (like 8 days ago), we were at another city summer festival with fireworks at the end. We got out spot for fireworks and our 3 kids had light-up lightsabers they were play fighting with other kids with, about 15 feet in front of us. It was dusk, nearly dark, with firework set to start in 10 minutes. In a blink of an eye I started looking for our 2 year old again who was with the kids, and of course... MISSING. We were next to a paved walking path so my wife went right, I went left, and long story short... our kid had wandered down the left and 2 moms found her and brought her back as I was walking in their direction.
DEJA VU.
Also, WTF. Our kid is a wanderer!
On a related note, yesterday we were at the Twins baseball game and found a 6 year old boy crying and freaking out he couldn't find his parents, so as we flipped the script, I put him on my shoulders and we stood there as a few fellow parents tried to find his parents. His dad showed up about 2 minutes later.... he seemed a little ungrateful to be honest. He said "I only left you for 5 minutes", what a dick.
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Missed this when you first posted, 89. I hear you on the time slowing down. My oldest wandered off during a window of probably 5 unsupervised seconds at a science museum.
I still remember the details of those next 5 mins or so with pretty high resolution.
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Children are largely to teach you the meaning of terror. Before I became a father I wasn't really scared of anything or anyone. Once she was born, I was scared of all sorts of things.
@Mik said in It takes 10 seconds:
Children are largely to teach you the meaning of terror. Before I became a father I wasn't really scared of anything or anyone. Once she was born, I was scared of all sorts of things.
I've been trying to practice an Indian form of detachment / stoicism for the last few years. I find it to be a helpful perspective - but I can't get it to work when it comes to the kids.
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@Mik said in It takes 10 seconds:
Children are largely to teach you the meaning of terror. Before I became a father I wasn't really scared of anything or anyone. Once she was born, I was scared of all sorts of things.
I've been trying to practice an Indian form of detachment / stoicism for the last few years. I find it to be a helpful perspective - but I can't get it to work when it comes to the kids.
@xenon said in It takes 10 seconds:
@Mik said in It takes 10 seconds:
Children are largely to teach you the meaning of terror. Before I became a father I wasn't really scared of anything or anyone. Once she was born, I was scared of all sorts of things.
I've been trying to practice an Indian form of detachment / stoicism for the last few years. I find it to be a helpful perspective - but I can't get it to work when it comes to the kids.
Just wait until the little shits are older and give you something really horrendous to worry aboutYes, that can be difficult. -
@xenon said in It takes 10 seconds:
@Mik said in It takes 10 seconds:
Children are largely to teach you the meaning of terror. Before I became a father I wasn't really scared of anything or anyone. Once she was born, I was scared of all sorts of things.
I've been trying to practice an Indian form of detachment / stoicism for the last few years. I find it to be a helpful perspective - but I can't get it to work when it comes to the kids.
Just wait until the little shits are older and give you something really horrendous to worry aboutYes, that can be difficult.@Doctor-Phibes said in It takes 10 seconds:
@xenon said in It takes 10 seconds:
@Mik said in It takes 10 seconds:
Children are largely to teach you the meaning of terror. Before I became a father I wasn't really scared of anything or anyone. Once she was born, I was scared of all sorts of things.
I've been trying to practice an Indian form of detachment / stoicism for the last few years. I find it to be a helpful perspective - but I can't get it to work when it comes to the kids.
Just wait until the little shits are older and give you something really horrendous to worry aboutYes, that can be difficult.Oh - I think exactly about that. They haven't given me much grief yet, but it's certainly coming.
