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So, my DD was found by the police today, how was your day?

31 replies

Thomcat · 22/08/2005 22:32

!!!!!

So, my MIL was childminding and she was coming for dinner tonight. She came in with Lottie in her arms with the wods 'I have a terrrible confession to make'.

Basically she was in the kitchen, doing stuff and Lottie was being a kid, exploring the house etc. My MIL then realised she'd not heard or seen her for a bit. Shouted to my FIL was she with him - no. So she looked around, then looked again, under tables, behind sofas. It's a big house so it took a while. She then noticed the back door was open. She thougth, maybe she's got into the back garden. Went out and looked around and as she got to the big 7 ft iron gate and walked through she was confronted by a policeman with Lottie in his arms!

She had crawled out, down steps, across huge garden, through big gate, across back drive and 3 garages and was sat in the middle of the road

Some woman found her and was a bit taken aback as you can imagine. She had then picked her up and called the police. The rest you know.

Reports were taken and I'm sure I'll hear more.

So worrying. She's 3.5 and when I carry her to the car in the morning or make her walk while I support her, I stop at the road and say 'stop, look, is there a car coming, no, lets cross', but I think that children, people with Down's syndrome quite often lack that sense of danger.

No harm done, and I'm not upset or angry or anything, but just feel sad really, and concerned that it'll happen again Worrying aye. i'll do what I can to make sure it doesn't happen if I can help it and make sure anyone who looks after her is aware that she can and will escape and sit in roads with no sense of danger if allowed, but..... well, I'll just leave it there, no need to go on.

OP posts:
mumtosomeone · 22/08/2005 22:34

Your poor Mil!! she must feel terrible. she is so lucky you are like you are!

MarsLady · 22/08/2005 22:35

You poor love and your poor MIL. I don't think that you have to worry that it will happen in her care again. She'll watch her like a hawk!

Children are amazing at taking us right to the edge of our fears.

I hope you are over the shock and I thank God that she was found and a policeman brought her back!

Heathcliffscathy · 22/08/2005 22:36

THOMCAT

how terrifying. you poor thing...

Blossomhill · 22/08/2005 22:37

OMG TC. Hugs to you and Lottie. You must feel sick. Glad little Lottie is safe and sound xxxxxx

Thomcat · 22/08/2005 22:38

Oh, I'm positive it won't happen with my MIL again. The poor woman, bless her, it must have been so awful. These things can, do, will happen. Just a bit sad that Lottie would think it ok to sit in the middle of a road, just sit there. Anyway, hopefully that's the last time I ever have to think/worry about it.

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aloha · 22/08/2005 22:39

Poor you! What a horrible shock. Ds still wanders straight into the middle of the road and gives us heart attacks regularly and he's nearly 4. It's awful. he nearly went into the road the other day because an ice cream van was outside. But to be found, in the middle of the road, alone....your mind must be reeling. You are a very nice woman you know.

Janh · 22/08/2005 22:40

Oh TC, how awful for everybody - thank God she was safely brought back, and at least now you know how careful you will have to be and you can make sure everybody else knows too.

marthamoo · 22/08/2005 22:42

Oh TC, what a scare. She's OK though (I bet you won't be for a while though, doing the what if scenarios). Bless her, she was having an adventure and giving your poor in-laws heart failure in the process. At 3.5 I don't think any child has a sense of danger (ds2 is the same age as Lottie and certainly doesn't) but I guess Lottie will remain innocent of the hazards out there for a long time yet. Prevention is definitely the way to go but you know that anyway - just wanted to say ooooh, how scary - and you can't even have lots of wine to calm down!

Thomcat · 22/08/2005 22:42

Let's just say I feel very happy that she's upstairs safe in her bed, door open, stair gate shut. I know it's shut I've checked it every time I've been in to give her a kiss.

OP posts:
Thomcat · 22/08/2005 22:43

I had a glass of wine though.

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Thomcat · 22/08/2005 22:45

LOL at her having an adventure, you're not wrong there. We were all sat round the table when she came home and she was in her chair having some milk when she just put her head on her arms. I said 'oh bless, I'll take her up' and she'd already fallen fast asleep. Tiring work the life of an explorer you know.

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marthamoo · 22/08/2005 22:45

My brother was an escaper too - first time he was about 9 months old and he pulled the front door open, crawled down the path and was off down the road - and a woman tripped over him and brought him back. I'm afraid he did it several times more - when he was 3 he climbed on an open drawer, unbolted the back door and my dad found him 3/4s of a mile away. Get some big padlocks, and maybe a ball and chain.

Thomcat · 22/08/2005 22:46

LOL I visualised the ball and chain already tonight, LOL.

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Janh · 22/08/2005 22:47

How did Lottie react to being found and brought back like that? Your poor MIL must have been nearly hysterical with worry and relief - was Lottie quite OK? Did she seem as if she realised something was up?

Socci · 22/08/2005 22:49

Message withdrawn

Thomcat · 22/08/2005 22:50

I'm not totally sure, MIL said 'she really liked the policeman' so I guess she seemed fine.

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sobernow · 22/08/2005 22:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Thomcat · 22/08/2005 22:54

Bless you sobernow, but perhaps I wouldn't have been so 'kind' to D???!!!

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sobernow · 22/08/2005 23:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Tortington · 22/08/2005 23:47

my son desperate to be like his borther who had not long started school, once got ready in his older brothers school uniform. made himself breakfast of cornflakes and strawberry syrup in the middle of the living room floor, climbed on top of the electric meter, opened the front door and went to school. it was 3 or 4 am. i was woken by a policeman shining a light into my face whilst i was in bed. he said in his best put down voice " check your other children are in bed luv"

to this day i have no idea how they know where i lived - they must have seen my front door wide open.

Thomcat · 23/08/2005 11:04

Custy - oh MY God, that is both shocking and scary whilst also being very funny and quite cute! Blimey, what a mad story!

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beetroot · 23/08/2005 11:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

flamesparrow · 23/08/2005 11:15

DD is 2, and we have already found her out by our car calling for Daddy (naked)... Daddy has a habit of not shutting the front door so that she can't open it

I had been in the garden with her, she wanted juice, so I sent her to find daddy, when he wasn't in the lounge, she must have wandered out to find him.

My heart was racing - I know how fast the cars go along our road, but at the end of the day, it wasn't DH's "fault" exactly (although he does tend to check the door now) - neither of us knew she could open it, and you can't watch them 100% of the time.

You're MIL must have been a nervous wreck - I know my mum gets hysterical if she as much as falls over in her care.. I dread to think what she'd be like if she lost her!!!

Easy · 23/08/2005 11:19

Oh Thomcat, how scary, but you can understand how it happened can't you, none of you would have thought that she could get that far, never mind that she would!!

It's a bit like when they are tiny babies, you get used to them staying where they are put. The first time you come back into the room to discover they can move themselves about you panic (esp if, like ds, they hide themself behind the armchair).

Glad Lottie's adventure ended safely tho'. You'll be able to weave a bedtime story around it now.

anorak · 23/08/2005 11:24

When I was a little girl I found a baby crawling in the middle of the road, no one around...

I picked it up and noticed the door of a nearby house was open so I went over and knocked and went in. There were a man and a woman sitting watching TV with their mouths wide open. I asked 'Is this your baby? I just found him in the middle of the road.'

They said 'thanks' without looking up from the TV and did not even bother to shut the door behind me!!

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