I went missing as a small child in Manchester airport however my parents didn't realise I was missing as they both thought I was with the other, they had separated and gone in opposite directions and I was unsure who I was supposed to go with, by the time I decided on my dad I saw the lift doors shutting on him and when I turned the other way I couldn't see my mum, thankfully I spotted some British Airways stewards walking through and knew they were safe people, they took me to their offices while they called for my parents.
I am glad Hope was found quickly and safely it's good she remembered the find a policeman game you taught her.
Wow - that's scary. It's good you knew to go to the stewards. I'm trying to teach Hope her "safe" people, but it can be so hard to explain that concept to her. I have a feeling the security guard found her - but she did remember our game, so that did make me happy!
That's an ingenius game! May I share "find the policeman" with my work kids? They rely on their care staff being with them so much that I'm honestly not sure what some of them would do if they got separated. So glad Hope was safe!
Of course! Share it with anyone whom you feel it would help! I hope she gets a better understanding as she gets older.
My heart sank for a moment when I read Hope took off. I can imagine your panic. I'm very relieved to hear she was such a smart girl and found the 'policeman'.
It was the worst! I have a feeling the "policeman" found her, but she did remember our game and I think she realized she was away from us and he helped her back. I'm trying to figure out other ways of her finding her way back to us in case we get separated.
You're still a great Mom! You taught her how to look for a policeman and had a picture of her from earlier. So thankful she was found quickly - but I know how slow time goes in that situation and what it does for you. I lost my daughter Toni at Hershey Park for over 1/2 hour and it seemed like 5 hours and was terrifying.
Oh my gosh - I can't even imagine what a 1/2 hour would have felt like! Thank you first the kind words! We are all blessed that everyone just made the worst situation have a happy ending!
We "lost" my oldest when she was about 4 years old at Target. Just like you, I looked at something else for 10 seconds and turned back and she wasn't there. I was sure she had just gone one aisle over because I felt that out of the corner of my eye she had moved. She wasn't in that aisle. Or the next.
Bless the manager (who must have seen the panic in my eyes because I didn't say anything to him) who asked if I needed help. He and my husband went to stake out the front door and put the call out to all the employees.
As it turned out, she was hiding in the same aisle we had been in, amongst the rolls of toilet paper. I'm fairly certain most children do this to their parents at one point or another, but it's terrifying all the same! And such a good reminder to have plans in place in case families get separated. I'm sorry you had to go through that, but Hope did a wonderful job finding help and you did a great job teaching her what to do!
Loving the trip report.
Thanks so much for sharing your story and reading along!!
So scary when something like that happens. My dd has not done that to me but I used to nanny for girl who go and hide from me when we were out. It was always so stressful. I do remember very vaguely when I was about 4 walking away from my mom and grandmother when we were at the mall. I walked into a CVS and took a box of Barnum's Animal Cracker's of the self walked out of the store and sat down on a bench and started eating them. I was still eating them when my mom and grandmother found me. They never knew where I got the crackers. They kept asking and I just kept saying I found them lol
I definitely held her hand a little tighter after our experience.
See? You're in great company. It doesn't mean you aren't a fantastic mom. It says a lot about you that you felt bad, like it was your fault. I was watching a little boy in DS's class when they were in 1st grade. It was the day of their Christmas dinner and the mom had to work and didn't want to make her kid spend the day in the after school program, so she asked if he could come and play with DS instead. And this was one of those moms who is always telling you how great a mom she is and why her kid is so much better than yours, and how much your kid could benefit from her and her child's vast knowledge. "Oh....I noticed A speaks some English....I was speaking English to him earlier...I speak English really well. But I noticed he is a bit behind in his Dutch. He should play with Tim more often. Tim has a GREAT vocabulary and could teach him." "Oh, you should have A come over and play with Tim to improve his motor skills. Tim is a great little athlete and plays a lot of different sports." (A did have problems with motor skills...he's got autism, but his Dutch was in the top 10 percent for his grade according to national testing, and he was a year younger than all the other kids. He was definitely not behind) So I picked up the boys from school and we got out the door and Tim runs off without me. I call to him and tell him to come back and he just laughs and keeps running right into the street. When I caught up to him, I told him if he couldn't listen, he wouldn't be welcome to come play again. The whole afternoon, he was just a little brat. I told his mom when she came to pick him up that he had not listened to me, that he had run off. She just laughed and said "Yes, he's very independent." I told her he ran into the street without looking. "Oh, he knows the way. Once, I was getting ready to bring him to school, and I couldn't find him. He had gotten his coat and shoes on and just went. I walked to the school, and there he was." And it didn't bother her in the least that she had no clue if he had gone to the school or been snatched off the street by a stranger. She called it "mature for his age" and "Independent." I call it disrespectful and irresponsible. She had set no boundaries and had taught him that doing whatever he wanted was a good thing, because it meant that he was "independent", that he could handle things himself.
Hope didn't wander off because she was being "independent". Kids do things like that. But despite your panic, you did what you needed to do, and you were prepared because you knew it was a possibility. You cared enough to worry about what would happen if she wandered off. Not every mom has that insight. So good for you!
Thanks so much for your kind words. Hope has a friend who has special needs, and his parents don't worry about him taking off or running into danger. It's so stressful when we are together because I can't take their carefee or in my option, careless attitude. So I have to limit how much time they spend together. Crazy.
Yikes! I just got caught up on your report and read the part about Hope wandering. Completely understand your panic. So cool that she remembered your lesson about looking for a policeman! We've been working on trusting Xander more to go or stay where we ask him without holding his hand at all times. It's a huge component of his IEP at school this year. On Saturday we were at the local children's museum when Xander announced "Water! Thirsty!" We told him we would go get a snack and a drink in the cafe area. I got in line and James sat Xander at a table then turned away from him for 2 seconds to get some napkins. When he turned back around Xander was gone! James runs over to me in a panic "I can't find Xander!" We start frantically looking around and just as we were about to ask for help from the museum staff I remembered that Xander's eyes had shifted toward the water fountains by the bathrooms when he announced that he was thirsty. Sure enough when we turned that way, there was Xander happily returning from the water fountains. In his mind I'm sure he was proud of himself for getting to the fountain and back on his own. Can't really get mad at him for that but what a stressful couple of minutes!
Yep - that sounds exactly like something Hope would do too! I try not to hold her hand so much - but my fear takes over sometimes and I find myself guiding her too much. But she's safe...
I have a feeling that the "policeman" found her, but at least she remembered our game and realized that we were separated.
Finally all caught up.....what a harrowing experience losing Hope (although I prefer to think of it as “accidental separation” since you, Mary, did not “lose” her.) I agree with other posters who’ve said you have trained Hope well and that not knowing the whereabouts of your child is the WORST feeling in the world.
Hope was a very astute observer in It’s a Small World. Periodically, certain dolls are missing! They are removed for cleaning or refreshing. I notice “the missing” all the time and even had Em take a picture of the elephant in the Africa room to include in my TR.
Extreme temperatures can cause issues with prescription lenses. The lenses can expand or contract due to pressure. It’s no coincidence that Ross’ lens popped out two different times on September Disney trips. Last summer while touring MK one of my lenses cracked while wearing my glasses. When I saw my optometrist after returning home, I was given this explanation.
Thanks for the kind words! I pray we never have another "accidental operation'!
Hmmmm... I shouldn't have doubted Hope's observation. She appears to have a photographic memory so I guess she really did know which dolls were MIA.
Thanks for the explanation of his glasses - go figure! Well, I guess we just better travel with an eyeglass repair kit from now on!
How scary! So glad that hope found a "policeman". I know that must have been terrifying for you!
Also glad that Ross made it safely!
Thank you! It was the worst feeling and then the happiest ending.
I just realized we still haven't heard about the crocs yet.... Hope your family is doing well. Merry Christmas!
Sorry!! Getting back to my TR now. Such a crazy season!
Finally got caught up with your report. How terrifying that Hope was missing. Glad that the Disney CMs responded so calmly and quickly to help you. LOVE the find a policeman game! So glad Hope remembered it. She remained calm and did what you trained her to do. I think that speaks volumes as to how far she has come. Well done, Mom!
Poor Ross! I hope you were able to get his glasses repaired without too much trouble.
Hope your holidays have been happy. Looking forward to the rest of your report.
Thanks so much! I hope you had happy holidays too! Did Ross' glasses get fixed? Let's find out...
