As most of you who bother to read this blog already know, I tend to be a rather relaxed parent-I don't hover or worry needlessly about potential dangers.
As of today all that has changed.
This evening I needed to get dinner ready early as Old Baby and I had somewhere to be at 7...so about 5:00 I send the girls out on the deck to play while I cook. Our kitchen window looks right onto our (fenced in!) yard, there is also a screen door that opens onto the deck. I'm not more than 10 feet from them.
They are playing nicely, the sun is shining, I'm happy because no one is climbing the table or pulling on me. I see the two of them sitting together in the back yard and at the same moment Brent's car pulls up. Perfect, nothing could be wrong.
I turn to the stove for a couple minutes, B walks in and we chat, Old Baby walks in, and after a couple of moments pass I ask Old Baby where her sister is "Is she still on the deck?", Old Baby shrugs and B looks at me and says "What are you talking about? She wasn't outside when I came through the yard."
Not worried yet, because I'm sure she's in the playhouse but I just can't see her because she's short. Check playhouse, no baby. Check back yard, no baby. Check living room, no baby. Walk out the front door and notice a gathering of neighbors across the street, one of them has my child in her arms.
"I just called 911," the neighbor whom I've never met tells me, "I didn't know who she belonged to and so I called the police-she was running down the middle of the street"
SHE WAS RUNNING DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET
After the police officer shows up and I tell him what happened, (and I'm wondering if I will get a visit from DCFS), I thank the neighbors and take New Baby back home.
Old Baby is hiding upstairs in her room and has that look about her that tells me she knows something-but she won't talk.
Eventually, I am able to determine that at the moment Brent pulled up in the driveway and I turned to the stove, Old Baby opened the gate to go out and greet her father and New Baby took that opportunity to bolt out into the neighbors yard, down their driveway and into the street and because she is small and fast and fearless, she escaped B's notice.
My heart is still racing, and I'm still crying-hours later-and the locks for the gate have already been purchased and installed and they are officially inoperable by anyone under 12.
As of today all that has changed.
This evening I needed to get dinner ready early as Old Baby and I had somewhere to be at 7...so about 5:00 I send the girls out on the deck to play while I cook. Our kitchen window looks right onto our (fenced in!) yard, there is also a screen door that opens onto the deck. I'm not more than 10 feet from them.
They are playing nicely, the sun is shining, I'm happy because no one is climbing the table or pulling on me. I see the two of them sitting together in the back yard and at the same moment Brent's car pulls up. Perfect, nothing could be wrong.
I turn to the stove for a couple minutes, B walks in and we chat, Old Baby walks in, and after a couple of moments pass I ask Old Baby where her sister is "Is she still on the deck?", Old Baby shrugs and B looks at me and says "What are you talking about? She wasn't outside when I came through the yard."
Not worried yet, because I'm sure she's in the playhouse but I just can't see her because she's short. Check playhouse, no baby. Check back yard, no baby. Check living room, no baby. Walk out the front door and notice a gathering of neighbors across the street, one of them has my child in her arms.
"I just called 911," the neighbor whom I've never met tells me, "I didn't know who she belonged to and so I called the police-she was running down the middle of the street"
SHE WAS RUNNING DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET
After the police officer shows up and I tell him what happened, (and I'm wondering if I will get a visit from DCFS), I thank the neighbors and take New Baby back home.
Old Baby is hiding upstairs in her room and has that look about her that tells me she knows something-but she won't talk.
Eventually, I am able to determine that at the moment Brent pulled up in the driveway and I turned to the stove, Old Baby opened the gate to go out and greet her father and New Baby took that opportunity to bolt out into the neighbors yard, down their driveway and into the street and because she is small and fast and fearless, she escaped B's notice.
My heart is still racing, and I'm still crying-hours later-and the locks for the gate have already been purchased and installed and they are officially inoperable by anyone under 12.
Likewise, I am embarking on my new life as "Helicopter Mom".
3 comments:
Helicopter Mom, fine. Just don't you dare consider for one moment that you are a bad mom, Bets! I could hear it in your voice last night on the phone. I know that those moments must have been the most terrifying of your life, but things happen! "All's well that ends well.", as they say. With the new locks installed, this shouldn't happen again. Love you!
Oh, man- these moments are terrifying. You'll have a good story for your wee one years down the road. I'm so glad to hear she's fine and good, and don't completely lose your laid-back parenting style - you're an inspiration!
My coworker whose boys were playing a chasing game had a 2 year old who jumped on the bed and catapulted through the screen of a 2nd floor bedroom falling to the landscape rock below. He had only a broken arm , 2 years later Mom and Dad are still having nightmares ...
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