Jack ‘n Tracie

So…

We lost Cody at the mall yesterday. This is the third time one of my kids has turned up missing. I was a wreck. 1st was Melissa at the mall. She *never* strayed away from us but followed someone who looked like me while we were at the food court and Jack and I thought each other had her. She didn’t go far and was only a few stores away… Then there was the time right after we bought this house and Cody got up and went for a walk when he was two. Then there was last night.

Last night’s was the worst. I don’t know if it’s because it’s the third time it’s happened to us (so I was feeling like we were awful horrible parents) or if it’s because the mall was so busy… or a bit of both.

Here’s what happened: We were there to get new shoes for Jack and mine and Jack’s hair cut. We get our hair cut at different places. He usually takes the kids when he gets his cut because mine takes longer. (I was getting color too.) So we stopped by my place first and they weren’t quite ready for me. So we were going to go to Starbucks and get some coffee. Cody wanted out of the stroller as we walked out so I let him out. Jack grabbed him to put him back in and I said he wanted to walk so he said ok. I looked over at the starbucks line and saw that it was long so I told Jack I was going to run ahead and get in line. He said ok.

So I ran ahead and got in line and then turned around to see where Jack and the kids were. He stopped at one of those kiosks to look at these neck massager things. I didn’t see Cody but I figured he was on the other side of the kiosk that I couldn’t see (where Melissa was.. I could see her). Then the person behind me in line started chatting with me. Jack showed up in line with me and I did a head count and asked where Cody was. Jack said he should be right there (with me). No… So he took off back towards the kiosk while I watched and looked around. I didn’t think he was missing at that point. I figured he was playing stuff at the kiosk. But Jack came back around from the other side and shook his head. I was shocked and said under my breath, “I don’t see him…” and the lady who I’d been chatting with said, “I wouldn’t be standing in line for coffee…” (was that necessary??) I said, “ya think?” and took off running.

First place I went was back into the hair salon since that technically was the last place I saw him. I asked my hair dresser if she’d seen him and she said no then she took off running around the mall looking for him. The girls at the kiosk called security who happened to be nearby so they were there quick so Jack left the rest of the kids with me while he took off looking everywhere (The Disney store, play areas, etc.)

I can’t say how much time actually passed but it seemed like a very long time. I was getting weak in the knees and started crying. I was completely wigged out that someone took him. We were near an exit, and the mall was jammed pack with people. I couldn’t stop fearing the worst.

The security guy took his description and name and relayed it to the other security guards and I think at that point there was at about five mall workers (including the girls at the kiosk and my hair dresser) plus who knows how many security guards looking for him.

FINALLY one of the kiosk girls ran up to me all excited saying she thinks they found him, so we took off after her (Jack was still off searching the mall). And there was Cody holding a red ballon, with tears running down his cheeks standing with two security guards, and a lady I’d never seen before.

I grabbed him and started sobbing. Cody was shaking and just buried his head in my shoulder. The lady who found him (bless her heart!!!) said she saw him running and crying and could tell he wasn’t with anyone. So she stopped him and ask him if he was lost. He wouldn’t answer her at first but then cried and said he was lost. So she took him to security. He had his ID bracelet but they didn’t notice it.

He didn’t say anything for a long time. I might’ve freaked him out by crying like that. Later he said he got lost and was running but a monster grabbed him and put him in jail. I guess the security guards were scary to him. He talked about it a lot the rest of the mall trip. Saying how he was running from a monster. Then on the way home he said he wasn’t lost, he was just flying. (He’s big on pretending to fly lately.) But we talked about if he gets lost again, to tell someone, “My name is Cody and I’m lost” and to show people his bracelet.

I just hope he never has to do that though. I can’t believe it happened. Jack thought he was with me since I took him out of the stroller, and I thought he was with Jack since Jack was going to put him back in the stroller and I had said “let him walk”. Jack assumed I meant “let him walk with me”. But I meant, “let him walk with you while I run ahead and get coffee”. What I think happened is we lost him coming out of the salon and that he wandered off following the wrong crowd of people.

Jack felt so bad.. we both did. But I told him it isn’t worth it to beat ourselves up over it. We know what we did wrong. He’s back with us and safe and that’s all that matters.