I got on here to talk about the summer so far. How it’s going so smoothly thanks to a little motivational system Rhonna suggested. I’m loving it. The house is (reasonably) clean, the kids aren’t whining as much… but I’m going to save that for tomorrow perhaps. It just seems trite after the conversation I just had with a neighbor.
Because while I was sitting here, my neighbor called to tell me about their weekend. They’d been at the boardwalk in Santa Cruz, a little amusement park on the beach. They had just left the beach and were walking up to wash their feet. She had her 12-year old take the 5-year old up the stairs (just feet away) to get in line while they got the stroller up to the top of the stairs. When they got there, they asked the 12-year old where their 5-year old was, and he had disappeared. Completely. For a few minutes, they just thought maybe they weren’t seeing him. He had been RIGHT there with them. They called security, and a few minutes later they reported that there had been a found child. I’m not sure how much time passed between losing him and finding him. But the scary part…
The kid had started to walk the wrong way…just a few steps, while his family’s back was turned. A middle aged man, there by himself, scooped up the kid, put him on his shoulders, and started walking away. The kid, confused, didn’t scream, didn’t do anything. A couple noticed this happening (thank goodness!) and told the man to put him down. The man insisted that he was taking the kid to his family. The couple insisted that he put the kid down. Eventually, he did, and left. But oh.my.gosh.
The whole thing gives me chills and makes me sick to my stomach…that it came that close. To someone I know. I usually comfort myself with thoughts of "MOST people are good. MOST people are trying to do the right thing. MOST people wouldn’t kidnap a child in a crowd in broad daylight, with his family standing right there."
But apparently, I’m wrong to do that. There IS nothing to comfort yourself. It’s sick. It’s sad. It’s wrong that people can destroy other people.
My neighbor is overprotective to a fault, almost. She’s been though a lot and she KNOWS what is out there. She doesn’t live in the same idealized dreamworld I do. And to find that evil sneaking up on her when she has done SO MUCH to protect her kids was almost more than she could handle.
Ugh. It all just makes me sick…
14 Comments
Shannon, I read this and got chills…
I read it to my husband, a police officer, and he shivered…
it’s just SO wrong.
I’m so glad he was ok.
thank goodness for that couple!!
Yikes, that’s awful. A huge wake-up call to all of us as we’re getting into the summertime.
How awful! So glad they got him back!
This makes my stomach turn….
yuck.
sooooooooooooooo thankful for a happy ending.
so glad you shared this with us.
we could all be more aware.
ash
Praise God for the other couple!
Shannon, oh my gosh. You have just described my NUMBER ONE fear. I am so glad it all worked out! Sometimes things like this are a sobering reminder to be just a little more careful. Wow. I’m gonna go squeeze my kids…
That is so scary I almost can’t breathe thinking about it. My son (who’s four) walked right out our front door one day without me knowing. Thank goodness he was with a neighbor a little ways up the block but my heart literally stopped beating when I ran screaming his name out the wide open front door and didn’t see him right away.
oh my goodness,shannon,
i have goosebumps.
that is just so scary.
i am so glad that
everything worked out
and thank God for that
couple that saw the
whole thing.
i hope all is well
with you.
love your new banner!
That is so scary and SO awful!
I am very overprotective and get a hard time from many people for it (most often from my kids) but it’s stuff like this that makes me realize it’s okay to be overprotective.
I’ll be watching to hear about Rhonna’s advice
Hooray for that couple that DID something. Most people just walk away. Guess I won’t be heading to the boardwalk by myself with the kids.
Oh Shannon. That makes me sick to my stomach. Oh.my.gosh. Thank GOD his parents were so quick to get security and that that couple was watching.
glad i read this. thanks for sharing that.
this is what i’m most overprotective about myself. i don’t trust other people around my kids in places like that- crowds. i’m a mama hen right there. so freakin scary and just makes me soooo mad!!!
holy crap that’s some freaky stuff! So glad things turned out the way they did for your neighbor.
that makes me want to barf.