Thursday, April 21, 2011

"runaway" baby

Got the scare of my mommy life yesterday when Racrac - the playful and active boy that he is - ran away from me in the parking lot of Great Mall in Milpitas where he could have easily been hit by passing cars or those who are backing up. Just a background: Great Mall is a "flat" one-story mall but the biggest outlet shopping mall in Northern California guaranteed to tire out even the most enthusiastic bargain shopper. It also houses Jollibee (popular Filipino fast-food restaurant chain) and we always park at the entrance leading to Jollibee which happens to be at the Main Street side of the mall and is the busiest parking area.

We were actually about to go home when it happened. As i remember it, I opened the sliding door of our mini-van and guided him up with my left hand. My right hand was holding the Jollibee lunch and the pearl cooler drink which he didn't finish and also on my right shoulder was my purse. As he climbed up the van with his right leg first, i don't know what possessed him but he suddenly let go of my hand and ran away!!! At first i was calm and talked him into going back but when i couldn't see him anymore that's when i realized he is only 3 years old and still doesn't have a sense of where he is and what could happen... so i panicked!

I headed to the direction of where i saw him running - about 5 cars away from the van - and found him giggling and standing still but when he saw me, he sprinted towards the next row of parked cars (!!!). What followed was a few but long and tense minutes of hide-and-seek, my voice shaking with panic as i call his name. I remember seeing him about 20 feet away from me running behind parked cars (thank goodness nobody was backing up) heading towards the main busy street where Home Depot is! I ran and was able to get close to him when he stopped at an empty parking spot and i could see him from the car behind him. I tried to fake a sweet calm voice to entice him to get the Skittles candies from my purse while i slowly inched my way to him. When he saw me he ran away again towards the next row of cars (hay nakuuu....!) There i mustered all the energies in me and ran like i've never ran before and luckily grabbed his shirt by the neck. I must have grabbed him so hard and fast i scratched his neck with my nails (which i discovered later).

I carried him on the way back to the van with its sliding door left open and angrily strapped him to his car seat. My heart was racing on the drive home while I explained to him why I'm mad and the possible consequences of his behaviour. Of course he didn't understand...everything for him is just a game. He just said the cars will bangga ('hit') me mama and i'll be patay (dead)... He's thinking that like in video games, if you die you can easily get your life back and play again. He just didn't know how scared to death I was of his "game" but I am sooo thankful that he didn't get hurt. It's a wake up call for me too - to be MORE extra careful and cautious 'coz one thing i've learned about motherhood is that accidents can happen even if you're just a hair's breadth away from your child.

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