One of my favorite stories that my husband tells is one where he was three years old and was grocery shopping with his mom.

Later that day, his mom got a call and it was a lady from the grocery store. “Did you leave a little boy with big blue eyes here?” And she did. "Oh! I guess I left him!" She raced back to get him. I don’t know why it makes me laugh, it’s pretty horrifying thinking about it from a mother’s point of view. I guess because obviously it turned out OK and it seems like in those times, things were so much more laid back. People misplaced their kids, there were no car seats, it seems like it was just more mellow all the way around.

But then it happened to me, just the other day. I was at a hotel swimming pool visiting a friend who was in town. My sister and nieces came to help me with the baby because they knew it would be hard for me with both kids. Sure enough, my toddler Curran spend the entire day running up the ramp, into the hotel and straight for the elevator, pushing the button over and over and over. I chased him, brought him back out to the pool, and he darted again. We did that routine a hundred and ten times. Finally when I gave him some fruit snacks, he sat by my feet and chilled out for five minutes. It was blissful. I was chatting away with my friends and helping my niece hold the baby. A hotel employee came up and said “Is someone missing a little boy?” I felt relief, laughed and thought “I am so glad it’s not me, he is right he….” And I looked at my feet where he was sitting….and he was GONE. He did not do his usual ramp-elevator route, but was found all the way up the outside stairs and wandering in the restaurant on the balcony of the hotel. OH MY GOD. How did he escape that fast?

When we left the pool for the day, we actually got a few applauds and some pool lounging ladies said “We are really sad to see you go, you have been so fun to watch!”  I am glad we provided some entertainment, but I am really REALLY glad I didn’t lose my little boy. Even if it does make a funny story that he can tell his wife some day.