A Close Call
Keep an eye on your children. Hold their hands when in a crowded place or while on an outing. Never let them walk or lag behind you while you decide to walk ten feet ahead of them. I have noticed many parents that do exactly this and then end up regretting it because their child has disappeared or perhaps was kidnapped from right underneath their nose and they didn’t even know it.
It is the responsibility of parents to do whatever it takes to ensure that their children are protected and in safe hands at all times. If something is bound to happen then it will happen and we cannot be prepared for the inevitable however we can at least take some safety measures ourselves to prevent something serious from happening. After all, our children are the future. Not only do they need us to guide them but we also need them to give us the drive and direction in life to live and let live. To also help carry us through those difficult times. If there is one thing that will always exist then that would be the unconditional love of a mother or father for their beloved children. I am sure today if we nurture them, groom them and discipline them well enough, then hopefully they shall grow up and take care of us in our old age or at least give us some of their precious time and attention. Sometimes I wonder how careless some parents can actually be when it comes to their children and their children’s’ well being.
Right now I can just recall a particular day about 2 years ago, that I remember very clearly in my mind about such careless parents. Now I am sure this would only be one example, whereas you can only imagine how many others there are out there.
It was only 10 minutes after finishing off from a hair appointment in a little strip plaza nearby my house, I picked up the payphone to make an important call home. It had only been a few minutes into the conversation when all of a sudden I noticed a toddler perhaps not even 2 years old running and screaming through the food court while tears were bursting from her eyes. I could not help but notice how helpless she looked. I started taking note of who it was, that was behind her or there to run and grab her as she looked ever so desperate to perhaps find her mother who was not nowhere in sight. She continued running past all the onlookers who didn’t seem to take this situation too seriously. I was just appalled as I saw this entire scene taking place right before my eyes and even more astonished as to why no one had gotten up to do anything about it by now.
I felt at that very moment that I had to do something to help out this little girl before she got hurt or was taken away by some unknown stranger. When I noticed that she was headed towards the exit doors, I abruptly hung up the phone while in the midst of a conversation and just started running after this screaming, frightened child. During this ordeal I started sweating myself as I ran faster just to catch up to her so that I could grab her before she stepped foot onto the middle of the road. Yes, it did make me feel like ‘SuperWoman’ for a moment but I knew there was just no other choice. Luckily I made it just in time and held on to her arm and apparently her father came running up behind me while she continued to cry. He was in complete shock at the time however he did have a relieved look on his face. I could tell his heart was probably pumping faster than ever after seeing how scared his toddler was because she had somehow managed to walk away from her parents while they were strolling in the plaza.
Although the ending of this little story was a happily ever after one, not all endings with such circumstances that involves children are as happy. We have to pay much more attention to our children and we must learn to take care of their every need while we are away from home with them. That is where good parenting comes in and I must say that parenting is NOT an easy task. With the story told above, the little girl could have been struck by an oncoming vehicle or if no one had been paying attention long enough, she could have been kidnapped or stolen. Even if they are not your own children, they do still belong to someone and are just as precious. So it is all up to us to do what we have to do to take care of them and give them our undivided attention as much as possible. That should certainly help to avoid those close calls.
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I believe you’re being overly critical of parents by terming them careless if their child wanders off. Wandering off is what children do. Their attention span is very limited and they tend to get bored or distracted very easily. And while parents keep a strict eye on their offspring, a child manages to find a way to get away. Sure it’s a safety hazard for kids, and parents should be vigilant in their attention to the child, but the incident you quote happens to almost every parent. We forget that parents too learn from their mistakes. They understand their child better by every michief he/she gets into and learn to anticipate the actions of their kid through it.
I agree that parents should not walk in front of their kids leaving them behind but instead should either make sure the child is walking ahead of them or besides them.
Hi S,
Thanks for your input and I appreciated your points as they were quite valid. I like to get a different perspective on issues whenever I can.
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Much appreciated.