A Lost Child

The boys and I witnessed something I believe is every mom's nightmare yesterday. We were leaving the Boys and Girls Club, and I noticed that there were lots of students in the street. It was after 3 p.m., and they were all wearing red uniforms, so I figured it was a school that had just let out.

As we approached the main street that takes us to our neighborhood, we were approached by a young boy. The boy was shorter than Roshane, and I would say that he was 6 or 7 years old. Now, it is not an odd sight to see a young boy like that walking around alone in our area, but it sure isn't something I like to see. I for one would never EVER let Roshane walk around alone around here, as the streets are crazy. Not only is it a very urban area, the drivers are crazy, traffic insane, and yes checking the sex offender registry is horrific. Now, I am a stay-at-home mom, and I know that a lot of these families have no other option, and that most of these kids have moms and dads that are at work everyday. I consider myself very fortunate to be able to be home with my children, and every time I see a child walking around alone I remind myself of this.

The little boy looked confused, and he must have thought I looked safe with the stroller and the boys. He asked me, if I knew were Lee Street was. Since this was not an area I am familiar with, I did not know where this street was. He then asked about another street, and this street was about 1 mile north of us. He said that he had been told to go to Lee street and then Taft Street. O figured that the school was half way between Taft Street, and the Main Street that we were about to enter. There was no way that I was going to let this boy stay there all by himself, if he was lost, and especially not if he was as far from where he was supposed to be as it appeared. My mind raced to figure out which was the best approach, but fortunately there is a small police department right next to the Boys and Girls Club.

Just as I was asking him, if he knew his mother's phone number. I hear someone yelling "Jonathan!!!" I could just hear the fear in the voice, and it was followed by a hysteric "Jonathan, what are you doing?" It was more a statement than a question. The car turned in from the main street to the side street, where we were walking. I asked him, if that was his mom. I think he was very confused at this point, and he initially said no. At this point the car, had pulled in to the side further down the street. I pointed to the car, and while he did not recognize the car at first, his mother got out from the passenger seat.

The relief on this little boys face was indescribable, but he said. "That's my mom!" He was about to run right across the street, but I managed to stop him before he ran into traffic. He then stopped and waited patiently for the cars to pass, and I think he was just too excited and relieved to see her at first to even consider the traffic.

After seeing mother and son be reunited, the boys and I continued our walk. My seven-year-old of course began to ask questions, and we talked about what he should do in a similar situation.

Have your child ever been lost, even for a few minutes?

Not too long ago, my mother-in-law came with us to the park, and when we got to the playground the boys ran off. Sky went too far, and when he could not find us, he started walking off to where we had come from. Fortunately we soon realized that he was gone, as they are rarely out of of my sight. We scanned the area with our eyes, and it was actually Roshane who spotted him walking back towards where we came from. It is amazing how fast they can get off track. I ran to Sky, and he of course was hysterical.