Adventures with my Children…Where did they go?

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Adventures with my Children…Where did they go? via Daily Prompt: Blindly

Blind Adventures.jpg

At 2:06 p.m. on Saturday I called my neighbor Lisa.

The call went something like this:

Me: Lisa, are you home?

Lisa: Yes, what’s up?

Me: I can’t find my kids. Did they make it up the creek behind your house? 

Lisa: Oh no. I haven’t seen them.

Me: I have been looking for about half an hour. They don’t answer when I call for them. I can’t even find the dog.

Lisa: Okay, I will go… (phone goes dead)

Me: (insert four letter word that starts with “d”)

I called for my kids and could hear Lisa shouting now too. There were no shouts in return from my little darlings.

2:08 p.m. – I call Lisa again.

Me: Lisa?

Lisa: I don’t see them, but I can hear you yelling.

Me: I heard you too. Please keep an eye out. I will call you back.

Lisa: Okay, bye.

2:10 p.m. – I have gone blindly tramping through the woods along the creek that borders our property. I continue shouting my children’s names.

2:12 p.m. – My daughter yells back.

2:12:30 p.m. – My heart starts beating again.

2:13 p.m. – My daughter and both sons have returned my shouts and I call Lisa back.

Here is a rough script of that call:

Me: Lisa, I found them! They were almost to the other neighbor’s farm in the opposite direction of your house. Thank you for checking!

Lisa: No problem. Call any time. I am just glad you found them.

Me: Thank you again.

I continued to call for my children. I wanted them in my sight.

Once they made their way back to me, I hugged each of them and told them how badly they had scared me. (Our rule for backyard adventures is this: You can play anywhere you like, so long as Mom and/or Dad can see or hear you.)

Two of my three children had conveniently forgotten their shoes along the creek. We would need to go back.

They were so proud of the beautiful spot they found and eager to show me the “cool” new hideout. Their innocence spurred on eagerness to explore. They may have been traveling blindly but they were taking it all in.

When we got back to the house, I had to talk to my great wanderers about staying safe and (most importantly) keeping within shouting distance of Mom, but the joy they found in that wooded adventure gave me a glimpse into my childhood. It reminded me of the power and independence I gained on my own adolescent excursions.

It is so important sometimes to go blindly into adventures. Some of our best lessons are learned when we don’t know what’s up ahead.

Lisa was willing join me in the search without a moment’s hesitation. She didn’t have to see me to know I needed her and that is what friendship is all about.

Allow yourself the freedom to trust your instincts and blindly follow the path to new adventures. Be aware of the dangers that could be lurking but also know that there is much to learn from taking a leap of faith.

Have a willingness to jump in when you are needed. That shows a great deal about your compassion and character.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. Keep exploring but make sure you have some who can help you back to safety, if you need it.

P.P.S. Thank you, Lisa, for being a good neighbor to this crazy lady. I really appreciate you!

 

 

 

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12 thoughts on “Adventures with my Children…Where did they go?”

  2. Thank you for sharing! Now I must share, too…

    This weekend, Joe and I and Anna and Anna’s cousin, Claire, went to St. Louis. We had about 15 minutes before leaving for dinner and the girls were ready. I told them they could go explore the hotel. That gave me a few minutes to finish getting ready. The Pear Tree Hotel is rectangular and small, and I told them they couldn’t go to the first floor where people were entering and exiting. Anna is 9 and Claire is 10 and they are rule followers. I even reviewed safety tips with them before sending them out. What I didn’t tell them was when they needed to return. After 15 minutes, they were not back, so I took to the stairs. On each floor, I looked down the corridor. No girls. By then, our nephew was downstairs, ready to meet us to go out for dinner. He quickly started looking, too. Joe was already searching the back stairs, and I went up the front stairs again. Still no girls. I was heading back down, via elevator, to the front desk to send out an alert. The elevator stopped on level 5, the doors opened, and there were Anna and Claire. Fresh-faced and smiling.

    There are a couple of messages here. They had found 30 minutes of joy and adventure in what I thought would bore them in 5 minutes. And a return time is always a good idea.

    Liked by 2 people

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  3. Excellent post and it has reminded me of my memoirs. On reflection I now feel certain my parents had no clue where we were 90% of the time! Funny how as a child that seems unimportant and yet as a parent it is up there with the most serious of anxiety attacks…out…late and where the heck are they? I must now examine these young/old perspectives more closely! Good sources of character development 😊

    Liked by 1 person

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      1. I think that’s it though; the perception of safe never entered my head as a child; however, as the parent it omnipresent. I think it might be latent until you actually have responsibility for raising them yourself. Food for thought on that one methinks!

        Liked by 1 person

      5. Just drop your links onto the post I referred to and she will add them to the main list pretty quickly. Nothing to lose and everything to gain, including hooking up with some new people 😊

        Liked by 1 person

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