Two year old on the loose in the Burger King parking lot
Posted: April 16th, 2010, 11:06 am
Today, I picked up my wife at lunch and we made a quick trip to Sam's in Huntsville. We both went looking for things we needed. On the way back to her office we stopped at the BK in Madison, AL. If you're from here, you know the one. Extremely busy in and out place. We zipped into the parking lot headed for the drive-thru lane and a little boy about 2 was strolling alone off the sidewalk and into the parking lot. I stopped and said "Please, please, somebody", thinking a parent would pop out from the other side of the car he was next to and be all ashamed and thankful.
Nope.
The kid took about 2 more steps and I jumped out of the car as he made a direct line to the middle of the whole parking lot where cars were coming and going. He was headed toward a black Blazer. I got to him and the lady who'd stopped behind me was on my heels. We steered him back to the building and my wife had run up and said, "Let me take him in." You know, she's a child welfare social worker and full of, ahem, pee and vinegar as they say here.
About that time, a lady in her sixties with a 1 year old in her arms strolled nonchalantly (interpret that as space-cadety) out of the BK. "Oh, she said, "there you are. I was looking all over for him. I knew he was gone but I had this one [she wagged the 1 year old] and I looked all around inside but couldn't find him."
My wife said, "Well, you need to pay attention to what you're doing then because you're not watching this one." Silence.
This mammaw then walked all the way across the parking lot not even with her hand on the 2 year old, who dutifully followed her to the Blazer. She struggled to get them in their car seats (understandably, but at least she had 2 car seats -- whew!). She acted as if it was no big deal.
This after a 4 year old was crushed to death in their neighbor's driveway earlier this week in our state. I am absolutely paranoid about that and I won't bore you with how I beat that in the ground and break it off in warning my daughter about cars, the driveway, streets, etc.
I honestly wanted to slap the lady. They had out-of-state plates. Some village in Mississippi, if you're looking for your idiot, check out US 72. She's probably coming through there about now.
Nope.
The kid took about 2 more steps and I jumped out of the car as he made a direct line to the middle of the whole parking lot where cars were coming and going. He was headed toward a black Blazer. I got to him and the lady who'd stopped behind me was on my heels. We steered him back to the building and my wife had run up and said, "Let me take him in." You know, she's a child welfare social worker and full of, ahem, pee and vinegar as they say here.
About that time, a lady in her sixties with a 1 year old in her arms strolled nonchalantly (interpret that as space-cadety) out of the BK. "Oh, she said, "there you are. I was looking all over for him. I knew he was gone but I had this one [she wagged the 1 year old] and I looked all around inside but couldn't find him."
My wife said, "Well, you need to pay attention to what you're doing then because you're not watching this one." Silence.
This mammaw then walked all the way across the parking lot not even with her hand on the 2 year old, who dutifully followed her to the Blazer. She struggled to get them in their car seats (understandably, but at least she had 2 car seats -- whew!). She acted as if it was no big deal.
This after a 4 year old was crushed to death in their neighbor's driveway earlier this week in our state. I am absolutely paranoid about that and I won't bore you with how I beat that in the ground and break it off in warning my daughter about cars, the driveway, streets, etc.
I honestly wanted to slap the lady. They had out-of-state plates. Some village in Mississippi, if you're looking for your idiot, check out US 72. She's probably coming through there about now.
