Now that I have stopped shaking, and calmed down a bit, I just had the most terrifying thing ever happen.
Ryan got out of the back yard and was wondering out in the front by himself!
We have an 8 ft. fence around our entire yard- the gate is a big door, with a lock on it, but we have another gate that swings open with a bar lock. Last night, Joe took Ryan outside w/ him to pull in the trash cans, and he must have seen how it works. I am wrapping up a present for my sister’s shower, and had just seen him outside on his scooter. I finished wrapping the gift- maybe took me 5-7 minutes, and I looked out the windows, and didn’t see him. I went to the other windows, and still didn’t see him in the back yard, so I opened the door, and called him- and nothing. He usually answers me if he is back in the corner of the yard, and then I turned my head, and saw the recycle bin pushed up to the gate to reach the bar, and the bar off the gate, and the gate open! I grabbed my shoes, and ran out yelling his name, and I didn’t see him, and he didn’t answer me. I was one second from losing it, and calling the police. There was a girl walking on the sidewalk, and I asked her if she had seen a little boy, and she said yes, on the other side of the house, on the driveway (which is our front yard.) I don’t think I have ever been so grateful to hear someone say “yes.”
I ran around the corner, and Ryan was standing in the driveway, crying and scared. I somehow managed to keep calm, and soothe him. He said he had wanted to go out side to “bust up the ice,” and “get the mail”, but mommy and daddy weren’t out there with him.
I just hugged him over and over, and told him he is to never open that gate again! I don’t know who is looking out for us, but I am so lucky, he got scared and didn’t wander off- we live by the train tracks, and near a very busy street, or someone could have just grabbed him in a second. He was also out in the back yard playing, while I put Cole down for his nap, which took me like 15 minutes. I don’t even want to think about what could have happened if he had gotten out then, or even what could have happened in the 5 minutes he was out there by himself.
I paged Joe and he is bringing home a lock tonight. It is amazing how much a child can learn by watching something once in the dark. I think we are done playing outside for today.
After talking to Joe, he suggested I take Ryan back outside and show him how to ring the doorbell. He knows how to do this anyway, but I took him out and told him if ever is in the yard by himself, with out Mommy or Daddy, to ring the doorbell. I don’t know if he would remember to this, but I guess it can’t hurt. Hopefully we will NEVER have another incident like this.
One reply on “The Great Escape”
VERY glad you found him safe and sound! How scary! For what it’s worth, that happened to me when I was nannying…and the little boy NEVER did it again: it scared him enough. I think putting an adult lock on the gate is a great idea…Ryan can be too smart for his own good! 🙂