[TranscendentalMom]

I've been through hell today....while I was working in the kitchen, 20 month old ds got out the front door (i normally lock the screen door if the door is open but dh left it open today when he left and I didn't realize it). I thought he was just playing in the living room and after awhile I realized it got really quiet. I went all over the house - no Luke. Went outside looked in the yard, looked in the sandbox - nothing. I started freaking out and ran around the house looking in the woods - nothing. Ran up the road screaming his name - could not find him anywhere. Finally after calling dh hysterically, I got in my car and drove up the street and saw him AROUND THE CORNER in my neighbors arms. She didn't know us so she had called the Sheriff who pulled up while I was sobbing with my son in my arms. She said she saw him WALKING UP THE ROAD. I am still so shaken...ds is sleeping now and I feel like I am the worst mother in the world. I can't believe this could happen so quickly. I guess it is a good wake up call for me to be more cautious. Thanks for listening....and please vent your story here if you have one!

 

[sarahbay]

Oh man I feel for you!

I am soooo glad we're getting a gate soon. I can't ever be relaxing, or into anything when I'm outside with the kids because at any second my 15 mo old might walk into the alley, or out front!

he sorta stay around, but still....

When I just had my dd, she got out, I had run back in the house to pee, and though DH had her, he didn't, when I got out I couldn't see her, and I ran, walked around frantic, she had walked down the alley which is a hill, she was just far enough over the hill, and short enough that I could not see her till I went down the alley a few feet.

I just about lost my lunch, and was still shaking for an hour after.

 

[China white]

Glad you found your liitle one, safe and sound!!!!

 

[wemoon]

How scarey!!!!! I HAVE lost my kids before, and it is really freaky. One time was in a resturaunt, she ended up going into the kitchen! And one time just the other day, my son was playing with other kids in the hall (we live in an apt building) and my dd came in and I couldn't find ds. I went to every single floor, outside around the building, playground. I remained very calm until I came back upstairs and dd still hadn't seen ds. I then had her go knock on a neighbors door and I knocked on another one. He was inside playing at the neighbors.

 

[pixie-n-hertwoboys]

Yes. Ds has wandered off from me a few times and it scared the bijiggers out of me!! Once when we first moved to our house and he was about 18 months old we were all outside working/playing and in an instant I didn't see ds. Asked dh - nope. Went to both neighbors (friends of ours) and nope - well then I get panicked and start running around looking for him. We looked and looked and about 15 mins later I see him running in a yard chasing the cat. It was about 3 houses diagonal from ours.... I was so scared and I think he felt it because hes never done it again.

The other time was in Old Navy. He was 2 and he wanted down - I let him down from the cart and was holding his hand - then he let go and held my pants. Then ran off - I searched for him in the racks around me then I couldn't find him I told an employee and he anounced a code adam (i think?) and someone found him ACROSS the whole store! In a matter of seconds he ran off. Needless to say he doesn't get down anymore!

Its so scarey when you can't find them isn't it?

I hope your day feels better after that!

 

[intensity_too]

Something similar has haapened to me so I know exactly how you feel. At Christmas time last year we here at my in-laws and my 2 y/o ds managed to escape out the front door while everyone was coming and going. I was in the shower and my in-laws were to be watching him. I got done with my shower and began to notice it was very quiet (my ds is VERY loud). So i asked if anyone had seen him. Everyone said no. I got this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. We searched their 5 bedroom, 3 bath 3400 sq foot home and didn't find him. My mama instint told me to go look outside. They live on an acre wooded lot with a creek running through it. I was so freaked out. I went around the house calling for him and found nothing. Then, through the trees I spotted his red shirt. He had went through the trees, down a wet ditch (remember we are talking december here), and up an embankment and was standing in the middle of a very busy highway. I ran for him with my heart in my throat. I scooped him up and made it to the side of the road just as two cars went flying by in opposite directions. I have never dried so hard in my life. DS was crying too but only because he knew his mommy was very upset about something. i still get that sick feeling in my throat when I think about it. What if I had spotted him a minute later? What if he had gone down to the creek? I got him in the house and took his clothes off . . . he was wet and it was only 25 degrees outside. All in all he was missing for 20 minutes but it seemed like forever!

TranscendentalMom- I have been there. It is hell.

 

[magnoliablue]

Yes, and it was one of the worst moments of my life.

We were in Borders, and her dad was an aisle or two away from me, but we could see each other. She wanted to go to him, so I told him, here she comes, and he said, ok. I asked if he had her, and he said yes. A few minutes later I walked to them..and no Lissa.

I was freaked out of my mind, and we started running around the store. We went to the helpdesk, but she was too little to really understand to go there, so they sent employees to block all the exits. We must have circled the store from top to bottom three times.. No Lissa. I could feel my heart in my throat..I can right now remembering. All I could think of was that someone had taken her.

We make a 4th trip to the kid section and..there she is, waaayyy in the corner on the floor, curled up, reading a pop-up book. I broke down crying, and shaking all over, then I did the , "Next time you stay right with mommy and daddy..speech.. she had no idea what the fuss was about.

To their credit, the employees were awesome, and really helped us keep it together when we could have lost it completely.

 

[Pynki]

ds2 is our escape artist.. BLink and he is gone.. When he was about 18 months old.. I had to have a colonoscopy.. Anyone who has had one knows about that AWFUL crap they make you drink every 8 hrs or so.. So I was inside drinking that.. ANd in the time it took me to DOWN (cause you don't sipthat sh!t) He was off our side walk around our long ole curved acreage drive way in the gravel road in his yellow and red cozy coop.. I didn't even know until i hear semi brakes screeeeeeaching and an air horn.. I totally FREAKED OUT!! and dropped the glass (creating a horrid mess I didn't care about at the time) and ran out the door and into the road.. We have 1 1/2 acres between our house and the road so it's a goodly distance.. The grain truck was about 3 ft away from the cozy coope in the road with him inside it!!! I had a heartattack, and he didn't get to play in that cozy coope for another 18 months..

Thinking about it still makes me feel ill..

Warm Squishy Feelings to you momma..

Dyan

 

[Alkenny]

My DD was my escape artist. She wandered away in Kmart, she got outside when we lived on a main highway and the downstairs neighbor caught her before she got into the street.

My older DS escaped out his bedroom window once...I caught him in the yard...he had thrown a sheet out the window and climbed out! UGH!

 

[Dar]

When I was 14 and my brother was 12 we were watching our little sister at the mall one day. We were in the arcade (this was 1982, arcades were hot) and sort of taking turns playing games and watching her and letting her "play". Then I turned around and she was gone, and neither of us knew where she was. We ran through the arcade, we ran outside and up and down the mall and on the sidewalk... I was sure she'd been kidnapped and my parenst were going to kill us. Finally I happened to look inside one of those car games, where you sit down and "drive", and there she was, "driving"... she was so tiny that you couldn't see her from the outside of the game at all, you had to stick your head inside.

It was *very* scary. Rain ended up in the kitchen of a pizza place once, but someone brought her out a few seconds after I started to panic, so it wasn't so bad.

Dar

 

[Jessica36]

That would be Joshua, not once, not twice, but THREE times! Once in Target when Zach was only about a week old. DH calls me on my phone and said "Is Josh with you?" Umm NO ding-Dong he was holding your hand, he and Josh were RACING to find me and DA, I mean DH lost him. I let security know and 2 secs later they called us, he was up front drinking an ICEE and woudn't tell them his name

Second and Thrid time at Wal-mart, once me and once DH. He decided he was going to go to the bathroom by himself.

 

[Avonlea]

When I was 15 I lost my little brother at a Navy Air museum. He was 4, and REALLY LOVED airplanes, so this museum was a total blast for him. There was a demo plane set up , you could sit in the seat and touch the buttons and etc.

We were with the summer camp program and I was sort of a helper with the staff, and so I was in charge of a certain group of kids( basically ALL of them..but thats another story) and we all were getting onto the bus and I was looking around and realized Cody was not there.

I felt cold and sick inside,I ran back into the museum and was going around and around calling hus name . I was shaking and felt AWFUL... He had found this plane and was sitting in it "Flying".

I did not handle this well, I yelled at him and I spanked him and I made him cry.I did a lot of stuff to my brother and sister when we were growing up that was really mean as I did not know any better and feel a large bit of guilt about it to this day.

I was so glad to see him though. I was so scared and all I could think of were the awful things that could occur and what would I say to my Mother?

My husband doesn't understand why I get so stressed out with the kids now in town, but threads like this are why ..... I don't EVER want to have that feeling again. It was awful.

 

[spero]

My younger brother disappeared on a regular basis when he was a toddler. We would usually end up finding him asleep someplace - in a ditch, under a bed, in the corner of the calf pen half buried under hay. Once he took off in the dept. store and my mother made it to the main door JUST in time to see some lady dragging him OUTSIDE by the hand.

Another 2 seconds and he'd have probably been gone forever.

Because of the many (too many!) scary episodes we had w/my brother, I am sooooooo anal about keeping track of my kids. We have a 12-ft deep river literally in our back yard; and live just off a busy main highway. I hate sending the younger kids over to my SIL's (down the road, around the corner, same river) b/c she'll let them roam around outside unsupervised (in the woods, near the river, etc.) and it makes me crazy! Her oldest DS took off once when he was 2 (he was trying to get to my house) and she FREAKED - but she still allowed him outside, unsupervised!!!!!

Having said all that, I have lost sight of each of my kids for a few minutes at one time or another, and that alone was sufficiently terrifying. Unfortunately, DH is not as vigilant as I am and has lost the kids a couple of times.

 

[Rainbow]

WOW, these stories are terrifying.

The other day we were at the store and it was pretty busy. I wanted to walk away to look at something and glanced over my should and older DD (3 on sunday) was holding onto Dad's leg so I went along my way. maybe a minute later I was wandering and I see my older DD wandering silently but her eyes were very scared. I thought I'd see dad right close but he was across the store. I was so upset, and once she found me she was so sad. She held me tight, asked to ride in the sling (I of course let her- younger DD (15mo)got booted to dad's arms, lol) and is pretty terrified of loosing us now.

Dh said "you didn't tell me I had her". I coudln't believe he tried to blame me for not telling him- like he's a babysitter or something. He should be as accustomed to it as me. He was just being defensive because he felt so bad. DD clearly kept saying "daddy leave me" and I think he was just feeling really bad. My heart is still recovering- none of teh adults around asked her if she needed help either. They were just looking at her curiously when I walked up.

It was sad indeed- and she's the type that never wanders off because she is already very cautious and nervous... so it isn't hard to watch her- just alert her that you're moving and she tags along. Likely she got disctracted looking at something and he walked off.

THIS is why I like small quiet friendly stores

 

[spero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarrieBeary77 what did your mom do?!?!

If I remember correctly...
Just about dislocated my arm, running to the door w/me in tow and screaming hysterically the whole way. She let that woman off a hell of a lot easier than I would have, though.

This is just one reason that I am wholeheartedly in favor of child tethers (I loathe the term leash, b/c although some dimwits do use them as such, that is SO not the purpose). My brother should have been tethered to my mom every single time she took him out of the house.

 

[Pynki]

yeah know.. An unpadded sling makes a good tether!!! :LOL Go ahead.. Ask me how I know!!!

:LOL

 

[fourgrtkidos]

Oh! I am sooo sorry you had this happen. Try not to beat yourself up, as you can see it has happened to the best of us, Mammas.

My oldest daughter was very bad about taking off by herself everywhre I went. I had stopped taking her out (yes, it was that bad) and always going to the grocery, etc when my DH was home to watch her. Once I left the other kids home and took her by herself into Walmart (back when we still shopped there) figuring I could keep track of her if we were one on one. She took off and I couldn't see her through the clothes racks. She made her way to the book ailse in the toy section. We called a code Adam and all the exits are shut down and the bathrooms etc. are searched. The manager paged me to the toys and books where a security gaurd was with my daughter. When I got there, I walked towards her saying "you are in big trouble, we are leaving right now." She immediately started screaming "this is not my mother!!!!" and kicking me!!! We had discussed that she should do this if she was ever being abducted. She is dark skinned, hazel green eyes and brown hair. I am fair skinned, blonde and blue eyed. They made me call my hubby and he had to come down to get us

: They really weren't sure if she was mine...... luckily she is the spitting image of my then DH and they let us take her home!

After that she always wore a kid harness.

 

[China white]

Sorry, ladies
I need to un-subscribe from this thread - it's making me physically ill to read what some of you mothers have gone through. This is my worst fear as a mother. My heart goes out to each and every one of you, and I hope the OP can see that it can happen to anyone, not to be so hard on herself.
To the poster whose child ended up in the highway in the cozy coupe.......DON'T EVER RENT THE MOVIE 'PET CEMETARY - I'M SERIOUS! very disturbing scene similar to what was described, minus the happy ending.(sorry if this is too graphic)
Oh mamas, how scarey for you all!!!!

 

[Carolinamidwife]

Ack. It's my worst nightmare too, I have read too many John Douglas books. Sometimes I wonder if I am being over-protective; I have friends who let their 4/5 year olds out of their sight at stores and whatnot but I won't, not even for a second. I don't want to smother my kids with my fear, KWIM?

We lost Max when he was about 2.5 at a petting zoo at the fricking Texas State Fair. The place is HUGE!!! Like amusement park size and jammed with thousands of people, plus, it was night time. It was the longest and worst 30 seconds of my life. I thought he was with dh, dh thought he was with me and when I realized he was with neither of us my head just started saying "NO NO NO NO NO!!!" and I ran around in a state of PURE panic. Luckily a woman had been watching him from a distance and saw that he was wandering away and she followed him. When I rounded the corner she was holding his hand. I shook for about an hour.

 

[Camellia]

To the OP - i had nearly the exact same thing happen when my son was not quite 2. it was dark and raining out and i was searching the house for him. i ran and got my brother from the garage and we split up and circled the block. naturally, i was in a panic. about a minute later my brother came back w/ my ds all soaking wet. the neighbor heard him on the corner crying and yelling "mommy". he had made it half way around the block from our house. i had never been so scared in all my life, and i felt like a bad mommy too. thank god both our ds's are ok. and for the record we are both wonderful mommy's who had a scary incident happen that we can learn from

eta - I just read the whole thread after I posted my story and how awful that we have all had these terrifying incidents! Being a mama is hard work and sometimes absolutely terrifying. I am so glad all our babies are safe in our arms today. I am going to go hug my kids now! And a group hug to all of you