Today I had my most harrowing experience as a parent to date. Today Niall went missing at the Pacific Science Center.
It was a beautiful sunny day and we wanted to do something fun as a family. We headed down to Seattle Center, had some lunch, and then walked over to the Science Museum. Jude really wanted to see the Lucy exhibit, which is expensive and not really intended for the two-year-old crowd. We decided to split up and I took Niall to the general exhibition area.
Alone with Niall I felt completely loaded down with stuff so I was happy to find lockers on the mezzanine level. As I struggled with coats, backpack, camera, and my purse, Niall was running up and down the hall. I chased him down and told him to please stay with me while I put our stuff away. He said “Ok, Mom.” and stood next to me for a second while I read the locker instructions. And just like that, he was gone.
I looked around in disbelief, at first thinking he might just be around the corner or in the bathroom. Then I realized that he was really gone and I had no idea which way to go first. We were right next to the stairs so he could have gone up, or down, or run down the hall and gone somewhere completely different. Someone walking down the stairs could have picked him up, carried him downstairs with them and out the door, never to be seen again. Or he could have just wandered off and become completely engrossed in something fun.
Where would he have gone? I scanned the first floor below and didn’t see him, but ran there first anyway because we’d just been there and it seemed the most likely. I didn’t see him anywhere, so I quickly ran up to the third floor to check there. Still not finding him and having no idea where to look next, I decided it was time to get help. He can run fast, so by now he could be pretty much anywhere. I ran into the store and told the cashier that I had lost my son.
On the edge of complete panic, I held back tears as I described him and what he was wearing. I waited for what seemed like an eternity while she looked for the number to call security. She tried to calm me down, saying they had never lost a child and they would find him. She said that the security manager had radioed everone that there was a lost child and she would come right down to meet me. A family in the store said they would look out for him. I felt completely helpless and terrified, and also embarassed because I was completely freaking out and there was nothing I could do about it.
While I waited for the security manager I called Jude to tell him so he could come and help us look, but he didn’t answer and just then the security manager showed up. I described him to her, told her his name and where we’d been, what he was wearing. We saw him at the same time, a moment later, off in the distance. It looked like he had just come up the stairs. He appeared to be completely calm and was just looking around, which was very striking to me because I of the state I was in. We walked over to him and he was happy to see me, but not nearly as happy and relieved as I was to see him. By the time Jude called me back a couple minutes later it was all over.
I am so relieved, but still completely shaken by this experience. I know that we were lucky, that in those minutes he was gone anything could have happened and nothing did, and I am so grateful. I know that I will never forget this experience, that it will always be with me.
What terrifying experiences have you had as a parent that will always be with you? Leave a comment and share your story, and help me recover from this experience.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
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4 comments:
Well, you know that little Jude got lost at the zoo for 20 minutes and Security were looking for him...I found him as calm as can be eating cheesy puffs with some concerned strangers on the loop! Then he wandered onto Dexter during Sammie's party (before his 2nd birthday!) and was brought back by a stranger on the street (Jude had managed to get him in the general direction and the balloons outside the door helped!). And of course he escaped from your house once at 10pm and was found heading up 85th towards Aurora by a man walking a dog who said "it takes a village..we're all in this together!". It's happened briefly several times since then, but those were the three most memorable (and distressing) occasions! I think my heart skipped so many beats during those occasions that it would take a lot more for my panic level to go up so soon. I've realized that the majority of strangers are well-meaning and everyone wants to help. The chances of a child going missing AND there's a weirdo on the prowl in the vicinity at the same time are incredibly slim... I'd be more worried by them wandering into traffic, but you can't underestimate how interested Niall must have been by all those exhibits. He probably didn't bat an eyelid at the whole thing! (SL)
Omg Carol, how very frightning!!! When my son was 2 I left him in the living room to go to the bathroom. (10-15' away!) Came back and no kid. I called his name and looked in every room in the house; no kid. I ran out the front door (also only 10' away-small house) panicing and calling his name. I didn't see him anywhere and figured he couldn't have gone far in that short of time; maybe one minute, unless horror of horrors someone grabbed him. So I ran back inside and looked around again and found him hiding in the corner behind a giant 80's style stereo speaker. !!!! Heart attack city for sure. I have to say that being in a public crowded place unfamiliar to my child would probably scare me twice as much. You know now you will always jump right up to help any other Mom in the same situation. Praise God that your son is ok.
I think that what "anonymous" said is probably true that most people are willing to help not hurt, but when your in that situation it feels like instinct to consider the worst and panic. That is if you have EVER watched the evening news...
Thanks for sharing those stories. I remember how scary it was when Jude wandered out of the house. We have a chain lock on the door now to make sure nothing like that happens again.
Meg, I can't imaging losing Niall at home, that would be so terrifying! At least at a place like the Science Center there are security people to help with the search.
Carol, what a nightmare! When you had just turned 4 we lost you at home. I was taking a nap with Bobby who was still nursing, when your dad woke me up to say he couldn't find you. We searched the house and the yard, and then I panicked. Called the police. (There was no 911 then.) When they answered, I couldn't talk - had this huge lump in my throat! I've never been so terrified in my life! I handed the phone to Walt. The cops went around the neighborhood banging on doors and found you in under 10 minutes - asleep on the floor in the bedroom of the next door neighbor's house. Two old ladies lived there. You'd been playing with makeup and nail polish, and they didn't even know you were there. I cried like a baby when I saw you. You were fine, but I was a wreck! I'm crying now just remembering all this! (Mom)
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