Whaaa? How? Huh?

    • Gold Top Dog

    Whaaa? How? Huh?

    BF is an ocean rescue lifeguard and he said a toddler walked up to him around 4 o' clock. No parents have reported him missing yet and it's been almost an hour. You'd think people would keep an eye on their kids when they are right next to A GIANT BODY OF WATER. Sheesh. Things like this really bug him. The kid was a little dehydrated so they gave him some water and are driving him around in a unit trying to find his parents.

    *sigh* and this happens all the time. Now I'm not a parent, so I guess maybe it's hard for me to understand? iDog parents? Do you get it?

    • Gold Top Dog

     All I can think of is that they fell asleep in the sunshine...I hope his parents are found.  There really is no excuse imaginable for not keeping your eyes on a toddler at all times. 

    • Gold Top Dog

    Gosh I would notice Samantha missing after 30 seconds. 

    I'm glad the toddler found your boyfriend instead of deciding to play in the water.

    Hope he gets home soon and his parents have a good reason why he got lost in the first place. 

    • Gold Top Dog
    I always used to wonder about this too when i was lifeguarding in college. How the heck are you not watching your kids. Most of the time it seemed that parents left little ones in the care of other kids and they didn't watch very well. That is so scary huh?
    • Gold Top Dog

    That's insane.  I used to nanny for 4 kids and the youngest was 3, always wandering away and trying to convince me she was a "big girl" and could swim without floats.  I never let her out of my sight for more than 10 seconds, and this was at a pool, and she wasn't even MY kid!  I used to have horrible dreams about her drowning.

    • Gold Top Dog

    My neighbours are like that.  Nice people, but I was out front talking to their 2 little girls (3 and 6 I think) for abotu 30 minutes.  Not once in that time did the parents even come out to check on them!

    Now for me, my kids won't even me out in my unfenced front yard alone regardless.  But I was blown away!

    • Gold Top Dog

    I live right on a very popular beach (in the summer it is crazy packed). When I was in highschool I worked at the carousel...this type of thing would happen ALL the time. I used to get pretty PO'd at the parents. These parents, IMO, don't think...they aren't thinking of all the dangers in the world, I think they're thinking "what a nice place this is" with their head in the clouds. 

    I do not have any children, but, I babysit my brother all the time and believe you me I do not let him out of my sight- too many predators, IMO, are hanging around where children are. You never know who they are either, it's a scary world.

    • Gold Top Dog

    I don't have kids but I'm willing to bet I'd be just as neurotic about watching my kids as I am about watching my dogs. I don't assume they'll stay beside me when off leash, so I don't take chances. I don't understand how a 4 y.o. could be missing for over an hour and no parent has run up and down the beach screaming to find that child. If you can't go to the beach and keep an eye on your child - then don't go!! Super Angry

    • Gold Top Dog

    Hmmmmm let's see the longest I ever lost track of a child or grandchild was 5 minutes.  She snuck under the divider in the dressing room.  I was standing outside the door talking to her, and trying to explain why at 6 years she could not have a bikini just "'cause everyone else was wearing them".  Right about the point I thought I was "wining" the arguement I realized she hadn't continued her point of view....   risking the " Mother Privacy PLEASE !!!" that had become her recent mantra I opened the door.  It took security , the salesclerks and myself less than 5  minutes to locate her. The look of triumph at putting one over me was quickly replaced by total fear when she realized I was beyond angry!!

    She was grounded for a month and never pulled that stunt again.   I have had some issues with my grown kids.  But while children I was righfully proud of them.

    I never understood friends who left the kids in the car to run in the convienance store and get milk , or who turned them loose out front to play until dinner. My kids and now the grands simply did not and never will have this experience.  I have known lovely folks who for what ever reason could not have kids.  Then I have known folks who breed like freaking rabbits. They could care less about the kids. They use them for attention , or for a check from the state.

    At a recent PTA meeting ( I HATE pta meetings, ) I was sitting next to a couple of very upscale well dressed and obviously educated couples.   They commented on my grandson who was a primary person in the program. I thanked them for the complements and asked which child was thiers?  They pointed out a shy looking kid, expensive haircut and pricey jewlery ( this is the 3thd grade) . I complimented her pretty hair. They sighed a long suffering sigh and said dismmisively they hated the fact that she just wouldn't speak up. That dispite the HOURS speant practicing the 4 lines she had she just had to whisper. They had even paid a local drama coach to make an effort to teach her... I was floored. The entire time they were grumping about the kid's too soft delivery they missed it. She kept her eyes glued to the floor and when she flubbed the 2nd line my grandson leaned over and whispered it to her.  The Preformance was over and my grandson bounced up , happy and triumphant his giggle alone made the torture of the PTA meeting bearable. We high 5'ed and hugged , pictures were taken and the highlights repeated over again. We were nearly out the door when I realized this little girl was walking with us. Of course we complemented her and talked about her lines.... The parents had not realized she was with us until I took her back. Not One photo taken, not one compliment given..... I offered to send them copies  the pictures I took... they said "thank you " then posed with her for pics....  It is just us??? Is it something I over do??? 

    People who do not realize the treasure they were blessed by deserve the pain they will have since the joy is overlooked while they deal with the drudgery of childcare.  I am 51 and I was lucky enough to have a 4 year old at the show with me this weekend. Was she a pill?? Duh...so were the puppies and the Hubs.  Did I feel like an amazing person when she called me G'ma, Momma  or Anything else?? Yep.  I turned one Ex pen into a doll house for her and we played together all weekend. SHE was the best part of the weekend, ask me, ask the dogs ...the family in the rig next to us seemed to have an entirely different view of how much fun having the kids there really was.

    The parents of the beach boy should be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible/  A judge can see the damage the neglect they are starting now, at 4 years will do in the next few years.  Someone, Somewhere should have the guts to stand up for this child and acknowledge there is a couple, or heck a single person who would do whatever it took to cherish and love this little person.  They are a gift, not a right.

     

    Bonita of Bwana

    • Gold Top Dog

     My DSs were never out of my sight for a second!  I always applauded for them as well as the other kids, no matter what kind of job they did.  they TRIED and that's all that matters!

    • Gold Top Dog
    At least this little boy knew who to go to when this happened. However, that is a bit frightening, or at least I read it that way, as to me it implies that this may have occurred before. I understand there are kids who run away, as I have worked with some, but this doesn't seem like a kid who ran away, nor do these seem like parents who are panicking, and terrified about what may have happened to their child. I hope they came looking for him.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Waa, sorry I made it back to this late. Around 5:30 the parents approached a tower guard and reported him missing. They said he was wearing blue swim trunks and no shirt. He had on orange trunks and a white t-shirt. *sigh*

    Unfortunately his parents don't get punished.

    • Gold Top Dog

    I have a three year old--and while she is allowed to play outside with my young cousins without an adult when everyone is at Grandma's house (like yesterday) someone is always in the kitchen glancing out the window every couple of minutes to go out and holler at them to stop sliding down the pole of the glider.  In any other case I freak out if she's not near me.  Five seconds feels like an eternity if she decides to play games and hide inside a clothing rack.  I think the longest she's been missing was for two minutes at an RV show when I was talking to my mom walking down an aisle and she decided to take a side route instead of stay with us.  My mom actually found her because I had my younger in the stroller and couldn't move as fast.

     

    I think it's sick and sad that the parents couldn't even remember the color of their son's swimsuit.  Sad 

    • Gold Top Dog
    first of all those are not parents they were just donors. I am a mother of 3 grown kids now but I can say that my kids were always in my sight. I even went to the restroom with them at the mall or movie. hell I just recentley stopped doing that and my oldest is 21 years old. I hate to sound mean but I hope those people never get the child back because if they truly love their child they will give them a better chance at life.
    • Gold Top Dog

    I cannot even relate to this.  I am so paranoid about Riley that I never let her out of my sight, even in the house.  And to not know what your child is wearing, that's ridiculous!  I hope it took them that long to go to the lifeguard station because they were out running around trying to find him.

    My sister had a scary experience at the beach once.  When her girls were little she was putting the baby in her car seat and turned her back on the other one in the stroller.  When she looked back (maybe 30 seconds) Katie was gone.  She grabbed the baby and was running around the parking lot freaking out.  After about 5 minutes she ran back to the car and there was Katie sitting in her car seat.  She thought she would help out while Amy was putting Emily in the car and got out of the stroller and climbed into the car and strapped herself in.  Needless to say from that point forward, Katie got strapped in first.