A Trip to the Zoo

We all know how easy it is for our children to just disappear. They're especially skilled at this when you're in public. I know you know. And if there's someone who doesn't understand how your child can become missing when you're standing right there, just you wait. Your turn is coming. And the more judgmental you are now the worse your episode will be.

So I was chatting with someone today who related this story to me. Her friend's boy has autism and tends to wander off to find a safe spot away from the world. They learned that he'll never let them out of his sight, so if he's missing just stay put and he'll eventually emerge. He also carries a backpack with him everywhere he goes. He wouldn't dream of going anywhere without it.

So one day they took him to the zoo. As fate would have it, he got out of their sight. They got comfortable while waiting. And they waited. Aaaaaand they waited. It was longer than usual and they had just started alerting security and forming search parties when he showed up.

Kids will do that to you. Put heart-stopping fear in you one minute, and make you want to lovingly strangle them the next.

They promptly left before anything else could happen, and when they buckled their boy in the car they noticed that his backpack was wet. Odd, but in all the excitement they just endured it wasn't a big deal. He probably sat in a puddle.

That night after tucking him into bed she remembered the pack. It should probably be washed if it was wet. Ah, there it was by the bed.

And it moved.

She cautiously unzipped it. She peeked inside. And there in the warm, dark interior was a baby penguin. From the zoo! Much excitement occurred, officials were called and they were told to put the penguin in a tub of ice water. Hold tight, someone was being dispatched to retrieve it as they spoke. They reassured her that they were in no way to blame; things will happen when kids are involved.

(Kudos to the zoo crew for their cool handling of this - although I suspect they feared a lawsuit for leaving the door unlocked and allowing the opportunity for frostbite, hypothermia or even drowning.)

I just keep thinking that it very well could have been Micah. You know, the boy who gets misplaced frequently. The boy who runs and hides any public opportunity that he gets. The boy who has no stranger danger.

Maybe I should be stocking up on penguin food.