We did!! We were with our three children looking through clothes in a major department store, trying to keep an eye on all our children yet stay sane at the same time and get this shopping thing over and done with very quickly. Then in a split second we realised little Miss 3 year old was not with myself NOR my husband. We had both assumed she was with the other parent. So looking like a absolute mad women I threw back all the stands of clothes looking to see if she was hiding under them – nope not there. Looked in the changing room – nope not there. Looked around the immediate section and one next to it – nope not there. Yelling her name the whole time at the top of my voice. This was one of those moments you don’t really care what people think of you. Your mind is totally focussed on the task ahead – FIND THAT CHILD NOW!!
I quickly rushed up to a counter to ask them to page for a lost child and they said “Sorry we can’t do that for security reasons”. I didn’t stop to give them a mouthful, I just ran outside into the shopping centre feeling my blood pressure rising with every breath.
We were yelling and calling her name and then somebody came up to me and said are you looking for a little girl. My words didn’t really come out well but it was something like “yes, yes, yes…”. We confirmed the description of my little one and the kind person said they saw her walking alone and then two women came up to talk to her and were walking away from the department store with her. “OH MY GOSH!!”.
Lucky I had my running shoes on and not the heals because I bolted full pelt towards that direction literally pushing people out of my way!!! Crazy woman!!!
It seemed like hours but it was probably only about 3-5 minutes which seems like an eternity. I caught up with them.
No rational thought came to mind as I saw her holding the hands of these two women but my action must have seemed a little harsh. I snatched her back from these women and yanked her into my arms. All in the one breath I wanted to tell her how much I loved her, ask why did she walk off, get cross with for her wondering off, tell her not to go with strangers but all I did was cry and hug her.
I didn’t even thank the poor women who were taking her to the Information Desk. Oops, sorry. I just took her quickly back to my family and once again we felt complete. There was that quick realisation that these things happen all to quickly and it scares the daylights out of you. You become like a defensive lioness looking for her cub, stopping at nothing to find it.
Have you had something similar happen? Want to share it? We’d love to hear it?
