Mama's Little Rascal

Now that Taylor and I are over this traumatic experience I feel like I can now post without having a nervous breakdown. You see since my little boy has turned two, he has come to be very independent. You know how two year olds are....wanting to get into the car themselves, wanting to put their shoes on themselves (despite the fact that they cant do it)... and you know....taking midnight walks through the neighborhood by themselves. Oh wait, did I startle you with that last one? Let me explain.

So two weeks ago, at about 10:30 at night Taylor was sitting on the couch in the living room when all of a sudden our little man came running through the front door. Taylor completely confused---since Parker had been put to bed hours ago---stood up, only to hear a knock on our partially opened door. It was a security guard and a little old lady. Apparently, Parker had somehow unlocked the bottom of our door and stealthily escaped the confines of our apartment to find the freedom of the night sky. Let me reiterate the fact that we thought he was safely sleeping in his bed.

The little old lady had found Parker playing near the parking lot of our building. I guess he was out there for over 20 minutes. She called security, who tried to talk to him and ask him where he lived. Parker...apparently kept saying...."mama....mama" but eventually he led them back to our apartment as if he knew what he was doing the whole time. However, this was not before the little old lady and security had called the cops on his neglectful parents!

So when Taylor answered the door, not only was he shocked to see Parker, and was feeling so horrible as to what had happened, but he proceeded to get an earful from the little old lady about what type of parent would let something like this happen. When the sheriff arrived to talk to us, he was quite nice, obviously this thing happens more often than you think. He just made sure we were all okay, that we indeed were not neglectful to our son, and recommended we get extra locks on our door. Parker did not seem at all bothered by any of this. I am sure he thought he was only going for a quick stroll before bed and could not understand the big deal.

I wish I could say that was the end of the story, but the next day another little old lady saw me taking out the trash and she had to lecture me about the whole situation leaving me in tears. (Apparently word travels fast from one little old lady to another around here.) As a side note... I must say thank you little old ladies of our neighborhood for your advice. I had no clue it was inappropriate to let a two year old go walking around an apartment complex by himself in the middle of the night. Next time I will make sure not to let him go outside. I know it has been 65 years since you had a two year old in your house....but you're right....you know best! ( Can you see the sarcasm dripping from my words?)

The most important thing is that Parker was okay. I dont even want to think about the possibilities of what could have happened. For many nights after these events I had a hard time sleeping. Taylor and I had been sick to our stomachs about it all, especially since only days before this Parker ran away while we were all on the beach at our family reunion. However, we are now recovering from these parental traumas, and I have learned that I just cannot take my eye off of Parker for one second and must keep all doors locked at all times. Parker has a mind of his own, one of no fear and a love for adventure...something that I love about him but worries me at the same time. Despite the fact that when he is not running away, he is relatively easy to handle, I think Parker has officially earned the title of "mamas little rascal."