Lost

I have lost one of my kids a total of 3 times (unless I'm forgetting another time or two?).

I lost N once at the Magic House in the beanstalk about a year ago.  I was following pokey L, and N and C got to the top.  I'm not sure how I missed him, but N somehow passed us up again, and he got lost.  I left Z at the top with the other two, while I frantically searched the top floor, then back down to the middle floor, only to hear his (ear piercing) scream from the beanstalk between the middle and bottom floor.  There was an employee in there with him trying to coax him out.  Oops. 

I also lost N (notice a theme?) at the zoo a few weeks ago.  I never buckle them into the wagon, and we were with a bunch of friends who were getting in and out of everyone elses wagon.  Apparently he jumped ship and I didn't notice it.  This time I was able to leave my other kids under the watchful eye of another adult (not just Z!) and I bolted back to look for him.  He had gone into the building in the childrens zoo and didn't seem to notice that I had lost him. 

Time number 3 was today.  We all went up to the park with our bikes.  The littles are getting good enough that we can park, then ride about 3/4 mile to the playground, then ride back to the car.  Nate was with me on the way there, and they did fine.  We played while he kept riding, and then we decided to head out.  I was pretty confident I could get the kids back to the car on my own without Nate's help shepherding, since they were tired and weren't going to be going ten thousand miles an hour.  I asked Z to be my helper and lead the pack and stop the boys if they got too far ahead of me. 
Z caught Nate going the opposite direction, and they took off down a side path, with Z leading.  Nate stopped following him and headed back towards me and the littles, and thought Z saw where he went.  Z did NOT see where Nate went, and he figured that Nate had kept going in the same direction, not backtracking towards us.  So Z plowed ahead. 

When Nate got back to us, I couldn't see Z.  So Nate headed back to the same area they were, and couldn't find him.  I was a bit worried, but figured he had probably just gone back to the van.  He KNOWS the rule not to go so far ahead that I can't see him.  I was more irritated and annoyed at his disobedience than worried about him, especially since I didn't know what had been going on with him and Nate. 

So I see him by the van right as Nate catches me, and I told him to go "talk" with Z about his behavior.  When I got up there, I could see Z was crying, I figured from being in trouble.  A lady passed me and saw me watching (and figured I was mom) and said, "I think he was mostly scared, I just made sure he was ok and didn't leave, but didn't bother him because I didn't want to scare him more."  At that point I realized he wasn't being disobedient!

Poor thing was scared because he was lost, and scared because he thought he would be in trouble.  We talked about how he made a wise decision (went to the van when he couldn't find us), and how sometimes two people just have a miscommunication.  And we talked about making sure to stay close enough to always see Mom or Dad.

Glad he was fine...and glad he had a learning experience...don't want to do that one again, though!