This is a blog I wish I didn’t have to write. But I want to ask all parents with toddlers to please watch your kids carefully and make sure they cannot get out of the house. On Monday when I went to pick Tyler up from school, a child no older than two, was wandering down the street headed toward a busy highway. Thank God, a driver who didn’t mean him any harm, got to him before he made it to the highway. He flagged a school bus down and asked the driver to take him back to Tyler’s school which was about half a block away. The bus driver deposited the poor child with the principal and had her call the police.
I’m not sure where he came from because it’s relatively busy in both directions. The school where Tyler attends is on a street that is one block long (although it’s a long block). Whoever lost him obviously didn’t realize he had gotten away because no one came looking for him during the time I waited for school to let out and for Tyler to appear, which was about 15 minutes. I can’t imagine how this parent, or whoever was supposed to be watching him, felt when they realized the child was missing.
This was always one of my biggest fears when Tyler was that age. I worried mainly about what might happen at night while I was sleeping because during the day I kept a close watch on him. But at night I was sure he would do one of two things: he would either open the door and run away or he would get into something toxic in the house. I made sure neither of the above happened by first making sure all potentially toxic substances were not within his reach. I also made sure my alarm was on and that both the bottom lock and the top deadbolt were locked on both doors. And I hid the keys where he could not get them and unlock the door. Even during the day, I made sure the doors were set to chime when opened. Even today with him being almost six-years-old, I still keep a close eye on him. He knows better than to wander outside the gate but whose to say that he won’t?
So parents, please kept a close eye on your child. It’s so easy for them to get away if you’re not careful. This poor child didn’t look old enough to give any identifying information which makes it even harder until someone calls and reports the child missing. Plus, let us not forget, there are a lot of cruel sick people out there who are up to no good. This fellow could have easily put the child in his car and kept on trucking. Hopefully the child was re-united with his family and they are thanking God that he was returned safely and will vow to never let this happen again.