HELP! I LOST MY CHILD!

Have you ever heard a parent yelling those words?  Or worse yet, been the one panicking because you couldn’t find your child?  Even if it was only for a few seconds, there is no worse feeling than thinking you lost your child in an overcrowded place, such as an amusement park.

We lost Eric once at Disney World, and I thought my heart would just jump right out of my chest it was beating so hard.  Luckily we were on an attraction that was an island, so I knew he couldn’t go too far on his own, but visions of him being abducted were playing havoc on my brain.  We found him about 15 minutes later, thank goodness, playing innocently by himself, unaware that we were panicking.  Those 15 minutes were unforgettable.

Here are some tips to help you keep track of your children, or find them quickly if they become separated:

1. Make sure they know your real name.  Sounds silly, right?  But how many toddlers know that their mom’s name is Mary Smith and not just Mommy?
2. Teach them your cell phone number, but always put it on them someplace.  Put it in their pocket, on a dog tag around their neck, or even written on their arm with a permanent marker.  If they are upset that they are lost, they might become confused and forget the number.  Write it down.
3. Dress them in bright clothing so you can easily pick them out of a crowd.  I do this even when we just go to the park at home.
4. Teach them who is safe to approach.  Security or employees aren’t always around, so I tell them to find another mommy.  Do what makes you feel comfortable.
5. Carry their Child Identification Information with you.  In The Caregiver Organizer For My Child, there is a place to enter all their indentifying information, including fingerprints and a photo.  You should keep this with you, especially when on vacation.  Hopefully you’ll never, ever need it, but if you do, it’s ready to give to the authorities.
6. Lastly, when you find your child, don’t be angry at them.  Make the reunion a happy time so they don’t feel like they did something wrong.  She’s already scared at this point, so don’t make it worse.  Later, when everyone calms down, talk about it, and discuss what could have been done differently.

Hopefully you’ll never go through what we experienced in Disney World with Eric, but if you do, please be more prepared than we were.  I know we will be if there’s a next time!

Karen

THINGS I NOTICED AT THE AMUSEMENT PARKS!

As you may know, my family and I went to Orlando over Spring break. We spent 2 days at Disney Parks and 2 days at Universal Studios. Here are some of my observations from these 4 days. (I should warn you, I came home with a nasty cold, so this column may be a bit snarky for some of you!)

1. Now I know we were around a lot of children, but I don’t think we can blame them for this one ALL the time: People don’t care about passing gas in crowds. Seriously! It was happening so much, I thought it was my own kids, but even my kids don’t toot that much!
2. People do not look in the mirror before they leave the house. In fact, I’m convinced that many of them don’t even own mirrors. Examples include obese (and I’m talking OBESE, not just a little overweight) women wearing tank tops that don’t even cover their stomachs and short shorts that certainly don’t cover their butts. Or men with mullet haircuts, white knee socks with dark sandals or jeans that are so low on their butts they have to use one hand to hold them up at all times. (If your other hand is holding your girlfriend’s hand, how do you carry that big, overstuffed SpongeBob you won for her at the arcade?)
3. Some (not all, so don’t get your panties in a bunch) smokers ignore “No Smoking” signs. Or in the case of the parks, “Smoking Allowed in Designated Areas Only.” Just because you smoke doesn’t mean you have to be rude, right?
4. Some folks actually believe that their hat will stay on their head when riding a roller coaster that goes upside down! Really! There’s a net underneath the upside down part of the the roller coaster, filled with hats, sunglasses, even a pair of shoes! While my son and I were watching, we saw another hat come floating down. Amazing!
5. Lastly, even though their are TONS of people at the parks, and everyone wants to get on the rides in the shortest amount of time, most people are very polite, very friendly, and just want to have a good time, just like you and me! As for the rest of the folks, there, I’ll just ignore them and have fun with my kids!

Karen