A Mommy's Worst Fear

As a mommy, I think I can speak on behalf of all of us that our worst fear is something happening to one of our children. And by that, I mean them being lost or taken. Sadly, there are families out there having to deal with these sort of things on a daily, hourly and minute by minute basis. My heart breaks for them!

The girls had received a package from Grandma S this weekend containing clothes for each of them. A couple of items needed to be exchanged for different sizes. Yesterday afternoon, we made a family shopping trip and hit several stores which included JC Penney and Children's Place where the items needed to be exchanged. Since the item at CP was a pair of pants for Bransyn, Jeff dropped her and I off at the door so it would be less chaotic (so we thought) and I was to call him when we were done.

Bransyn and I enter CP, I found where the pants were, found the size I was looking for, tried them on her and yep, they were the size that were needed. SCORE! We go to the register so I can exchange them and two employees were busy with something so I was patiently waiting. Bransyn was standing right beside me. I turned around to look at a package of panties for a FEW SECONDS, turned back around and Bransyn wasn't standing there any longer. No big deal...I do a 360 turn, but still don't see her. Now, Bransyn is our child that doesn't like to be left behind so she pretty much sticks right to me. She even gets upset if I get too far ahead of her in the aisle at Walmart so I wasn't overly concerned. I look around the clothing near me and finally one of the morons working at CP tells me, "she went that way" pointing through the (doorless)doorway. REALLY?!?!?! So I go through thinking she will be right there, but she isn't. At this point I am still not freaking out, but I am quickly making my way through the store looking in and around all the clothing calling her name...first and middle! With each call of her name it is getting louder and louder as the panic starts to set in and I AM NOW FREAKING OUT!!!! My heart was POUNDING, I was shaking so bad and started sweating like crazy! Gross!! There were three other women there shopping with their children and not one of them stopped to help me look for her. Now I realize that it is my responsibility to keep an eye or both eyes on my children, but one would think that as a mother and you see someone searching frantically for their child that one would stop holding up articles of clothing and maybe help look. I personally have done that in the past, but not these moms, they couldn't have cared less!! I was so irritated and furious that I would have loved to strangle them with the clothing or beat them over their heads with the hangers! Maybe both!!!

I finally go back to the CP moron, I mean employee, where both morons, man! I mean employees are still working on whatever it was they were working on about 5 minutes earlier. NO ONE was concerned that I am screaming Bransyn's name running around the store in tears like a crazy person. When I finally asked for assistance, they helped look for her. Just as I get Jeff on the phone and tell him (in tears) that I can't find Bransyn and that it had been about 5 minutes, another employee hollers that she had her. Apparantly, she was tucked between something watching three boys whose mother was letting them run around and play in the window display and I kept missing her. Not to judge...but *nice*!! I scooped her up in my arms and asked her what she was doing and why she didn't answer me. She said, "I was right there!" :) and said she didn't hear me calling her. hmmmmm!! She was not even the least bit concerned or aware of the panic I had been in. I exchanged the pants with her still in my arms and carried her out to the car and didn't let go of her until I put her in her car seat.

Not something to be proud of, but I have now managed to "lose" all three of my girls somewhere. Kendal was almost 5 at an outdoor Easter event, Payton was the 2 to 3 range at JC Penney and now Bransyn, almost 4 at Children's Place. Sheesh!!

Thankfully for us in all those situations, it worked out OK in the end...we left with all our kids in tow. Last night though, I could not sleep. I kept thinking about the "CP incident" as well as thinking about all the parents that "that few seconds" has had a completely different ending for them and has forever changed them and their families. I laid in bed and cried for them and prayed for them!! I am so thankful for what God has blessed me with!!!

Until next time...