Another "I lost my child" thread

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

I know its happened to everyone atleast once. Deep down, i knew my time would come. But it still doesnt make it any less traumatic.

I almost lost my son today. We were at the zoo with friends. There were a total of 7 children, 6 mobile, all under the age of 4. We were in the playground area, having a specatcular time. We had JUST taken a pic of all 6 boys sitting on the bench eating crackers together. But within 30 seconds, my little guy wondered off, chasing the birds who are relativly unafraid of all the passeresby. I went to the stroller to look for something (SOOO STUPID!) and when I looked up, he wasnt sittin on the bench anymore. I started to scan, and didnt see the bright yellow shirt I had just got done bragging about putting him in for this very reason (EASY to spot). The memory of hearing a child in the far off distance screaming bloody murder just a minute ago began to panic me. (There is an area in the distance that has a pretty nasty drop off. They have it fenced pretty well, but that was where my mind was going) me and the three other girls began to comb the area, and I immediatly instructed one of them to stay with the rest of the children.

NOW I AM RUNNING up and down the water wading area SCAREAMNING HIS NAME. I am a worrier by nature. It was hard not to start imagining the worst. When suddenly I hear one of the girls yell, I SEE HIM! I seriously, almost peed my pants. he was about 300 feet away by the cnecession area. The kicker, it was near a group of tables where some ladies were sitting, and one kinda lays into my friend, who had gotten to him first, about how they were wondering who he belonged to, and how dare she let her child wonder off like that. I didnt hear any of this. (Thank goodness because i might have burst into tears right then and there, thanking her for making me feel like the worst mother on the planet. Loosing my kid wasnt bad enough, but having you point it out, makes it that much harder. Thanks for the compassion lady!) My friend had already picked him up, and apparently was giving the lady the dirtiest look ever, so I scooped him out of her arms and held him so tight he was trying to rithe out of my arms.

The moral of this story, it can happen to ANYONE. Its awful. It will take me atleast a week to shake this feeling. I have to try to not dwell on the what ifs, because they will make me crazy. Its kind of like being in a car accident. You are really gun-shy to get back behind the wheel again. We may be sticking very close to home for the duration of my vacation. Like, THE BACKYARD.

At this very moment, as I sit here near tears, they are both peacefully asleep in their beds after a very fun and tiring day. I will be holding both of them probably closer then they will like tonight.

Thanks for listening. to everyone who knows EXACTLY what I am going through today.

[Owen'nZoe]

Hugs, mama! I just lost my 3 1/2 year old a couple weeks ago for the first time, so I know the feeling. In my case, he was riding his bike in the driveway with his big brother, and I ran into the backyard to grab some toys we had left behind. When I got back a couple minutes later, he was gone, and his brother had no recollection of him leaving. After twenty minutes of frantic searching and asking neighbors if they'd seen him, I found him, happy as a clam, about two blocks away and across our street, biking towards home, and really proud of what a big boy he was to go biking all by himself. Those 20 minutes were definitely some of the worst of my life. I know you know you aren't alone, but thought another 'I've been there' story might help ease the guilt.

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

Owen N Zoe:

20 MINUTES????? LORD MAMA. Mine happened in about 4. Around 5 they would have started to give me CPR. There arent anough hug smilies for the amount of time you spent worrying about your baby. So glad to hear there was a happy outcome for you.

Thank you for your commiseration. I pray neither of us have to endure it again.

[grumpybear]

[Dr.Worm]

Glad it turned out ok

[starling&diesel]

Scary!

I was at the folk music festival here and one second DD was watching the hoola hoopers and the next she was gone. It only took a minute to find her, heading towards the pond () in pursuit of the ducks. Honestly, I hadn't even looked away ... we were both watching the hoopers, only I was standing, and she was at my side. Or so I thought. It is INSANE how fast it happens.

If it makes any of us feel better, there were at least six announcement of 'lost parents' at the folk fest. Mostly three- and four-year-olds who were found wandering in tears.

[Owen'nZoe]

Originally Posted by Barbie64g

Owen N Zoe:

20 MINUTES????? LORD MAMA. Mine happened in about 4. Around 5 they would have started to give me CPR. There arent anough hug smilies for the amount of time you spent worrying about your baby. So glad to hear there was a happy outcome for you.

Thank you for your commiseration. I pray neither of us have to endure it again.

It may have been 15 - it felt like 90. I had enough time to search the house twice, walk 2 blocks one direction, 2 blocks the other, and knock on several doors. I was literally dialing 911 when I spotted him.

One of the neighbors who helped me search for him later told me about the time her daughter was gone for 1/2 an hour - she had gone into the next door neighbor's house and was watching a cartoon, but her mom had no idea. It made me feel so much better, so I'm glad at least that I could pay it forward.

[htcamommy]

I "lost" my son several times in our own house!! He's an escape artist and if you're not super careful about deadbolting the doors he goes outside to play with the animals. We live on alot of property so I was never instinctivly worried about him being kidnapped as much as lost and or hurt. The scariest moment occured recently however. I had laid him down for bed and went up front to watch TV with dh. I heard him crying and went to check on him. He wasn't in his bedroom! I searched the entire house calling his name and although I could hear him crying could not find him. Finally I went into the laundry room. He had taken my towels out of the dryer and climbed in and shut the door. He was completely soaked in sweat and his legs were red from the heat of the metal. I cried and cried. He was fine as soon as he got a drink of water. If he'd been in there 5 more minutes I'm sure he'd have passed out from the heat or suffication. Of course my dh was making fun of how upset i was since "he didn't die!"

[cschick]

A couple of weeks back, we were in Cabela's picking up camping supplies. This Cabela's is particularly crowded with merchandise, with a lot of places for little kids to vanish into, and my kid (4 years old) was in a particularly hyper mood. (He's also the type of kid who'll do a header out of a cart if you put him in there in this type of mood, and knows how to unbuckle every cart-based kid restraint on the face of the planet).

I was trying to keep him hand-in-hand, but he kept yanking away while I was trying to look at things and taking off. He yanked away, I had to put down the thing I was holding, I turned around, and he was already gone. All around us were the hanging sleeping bags, racks of camo gear, racks of sports clothing, all sorts of things for a kid to vanish into. I started calling for him and looking through the racks. He was nowhere to be found. An employee noticed me looking and came over, and was just about to put out a lost kid notice over his walkie-talkie when the kid emerged from a rack I could barely see, many aisles away from us. I grabbed him, and he was passed off to his father who spent the rest of our shopping time just keeping him seated in a shopping cart.

[Norasmomma]

Originally Posted by htcamommy

I "lost" my son several times in our own house!! He's an escape artist and if you're not super careful about deadbolting the doors he goes outside to play with the animals. We live on alot of property so I was never instinctivly worried about him being kidnapped as much as lost and or hurt. The scariest moment occured recently however. I had laid him down for bed and went up front to watch TV with dh. I heard him crying and went to check on him. He wasn't in his bedroom! I searched the entire house calling his name and although I could hear him crying could not find him. Finally I went into the laundry room. He had taken my towels out of the dryer and climbed in and shut the door. He was completely soaked in sweat and his legs were red from the heat of the metal. I cried and cried. He was fine as soon as he got a drink of water. If he'd been in there 5 more minutes I'm sure he'd have passed out from the heat or suffication. Of course my dh was making fun of how upset i was since "he didn't die!"

That is so scary.

My DD escaped the house last summer and went out in the yard picking flowers. DH and I were still in bed and heard her calling "mommy, daddy" I said come in the room sweetie, but she didn't and kept calling. We finally realized she wasn't in the house. She had gotten dressed, silently walked down the stairs and out the door. It was early AM, cars were driving by the house. We now have locks on all the doors, including the screen door.

[Mittsy]

*Hugs OP*Sorry mama, I know you must have been terrified. I've almost lost ds(3.5) twice this week, once at the library and the other time as DH was leaving on the bus to work. I'm almost tempted to bring out the "monkey backpack" again.