Today when we got home from picking up Z from school, I pulled into the garage and got into the back of the van to start pulling the little boys out. I got L's shoes off and pulled him out, plopped him in the house, shut the door behind me. Got N's shoes off, pulled him out, plopped him in the house, shut the door behind me. Went back to repeat for C.
When I came inside with C, I hit the garage door to shut it, shut the inside door, and latched it.
I turned around to see where all the kids had taken off to. L was playing happily in the family room, and I watched C dart down the hall. Ooops, our bedroom door was still open, and he had gotten into our bathroom and was heading for the trash. Z had climbed into our bed (brand new clean sheets on it) with muddy shoes.
I got both of them out of there, and kind of heard N crying, but couldn't find him. I realized he must have gone into the garage when I was getting C, so I opened up the door. Oh no, he was not in the garage....I had actually shut him OUT of the garage. He had opened up the inside door and bolted into the garage and was headed down the driveway in the 10 seconds it took for me to get C's shoes off and get him out. And since he went on the far side of the car, I didn't even see him (and normally I hear them when they do that), I shut the garage door, locking him out.
So I opened the garage and he was standing there screaming like crazy. Thankful the garage door didn't get him, thankful he wasn't hurt, thankful the men working on the water pipes in my front yard were actually at the corner at that exact moment.
Lesson learned: shut the garage door before you get any kids out of the van, unless you want them outside.
And pray for us, that we all survive! :)
Wow! I'm so glad he stayed close and screamed! =)
ReplyDeleteYikes and wow all at the same time! I've locked Ev out in a similar scenario and we now have a sort of system: when I am about to hit the button, I yell "All Clear!" and everyone has to repeat it back to me before I shut the door. They might be on the young end for this, but it's an idea. Thank goodness all ended up ok!
ReplyDeleteWe don't have a garage door, but our oldest (when he was almost 3) undid the deadbolt and went outside at 5 AM one morning... he was wandering down the main street in our small town (where the speed limit is 35) barefoot, dragging his blankie. A passerby on his way to work saw him, stopped, and called the police, who went through the neighborhood trying to find the house he came from.
ReplyDeleteFYI: If you are asleep and the police wake you up to bring home your wandering 2yo, they are NOT nice to you (and they report you to DFS - which still baffles my mind - as though we were supposed to know a 2yo could undo a deadbolt... we were told to "secure the premises," direct quote).
So, I understand that moment of "Yeah! I found my kid! And I'm SOOOO happy that 18,000 worse things didn't happen!" And I recommend slide locks at the top of doors and allergy medicine in the AM to avoid restless sleep. ;)