Oh, my, she must have had a really terrifying time before he was found.
Once, I went into a book store during Christmas shopping season, and my almost three year old son disappeared when I picked up a book to look at the back cover. I went out into the mall, and looked around, panicking as I saw hallways leading in all directions, and an escalator nearby. I started walking in a random direction and found him with a couple who had found him and were about to take him into a nearby store to call security. I was so relieved!
Thank goodness this little guy was okay. The mother will probably want to install something on the front door to keep him from wandering off like that again.
The same thing happened to me!
I was traveling through JFK with my infant son and my daughter, who’d just turned two. It was a Red Eye flight, so there weren’t a lot of people and the lights were dimmed.
We arrived at our gate and I stopped to change my son’s wet diaper. It took less than 30 seconds. I turned around and my daughter was just gone. I’m standing there, holding my baby, and had NO friggin’ clue which direction to go, so I did the only thing that I could do.
I started screaming my head off that my daughter was missing. And I mean screaming. The 20 or so people at the terminal started scrambling, running left and right, then someone bellowed, “THERE SHE IS!”
She was coming down the escalator, holding a young man’s hand, calm as a cucumber. He said that saw a little girl step off the escalator, then heard the commotion, and put two and two together.
I still wish I could find that guy and buy him a beer. My hero.
She’s a new mom now I just just keep thinking, “Let the games begin.”
Had a similar incident with my son at a large Ikea. Those little boys can move quick!