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Within a single hour yesterday I reveled in one of my proudest moments as a father and muddled through one of my most frightening.
The former – I taught the boy to catch. He was born with a ball in his hand. He’s got a thunderbolt of an arm already, but hasn’t picked up the elusive ability to catch the ball once he throws it. Yesterday we were playing with a tennis ball in the street. Him throwing, me fetching. In a fit of blind optimism, I showed him how to hold his hands out to catch a ball. After a dozen or so rebounds into his face, he closed his hands around a tossed ball at the appropriate moment. I think he was as surprised and as gleeful as I was.
I know it is a little thing, but swear to god I nearly exploded from pride.
He’s not going to be taking sharp edges at silly point or fielding towering flies at the left field fence any time soon, but he caught the ball and can do so regularly now.
Boy Z, just remember your Papa when you’re the MVP of the World Series Champion Atlanta Braves or the Man of the Match at Lord’s Cricket Ground after thrashing England in the Ashes.
All my dreams of future stardom were very nearly dashed when I lost Boy Z at the supermarket.
After my masterful paternal teaching moment, we took a run up to the Woolies for some supplies. They had some Matchbox cars on sale and I was rummaging through them to try and find a bus for the boy. He’s currently obsessed with buses. I found one, turned to show it to Boy Z and he was gone.
I looked around frantically and realized that he was gone gone. I knew that nobody had snatched him because the boy screams bloody murder if a stranger looks at him funny, but still I can’t recall feeling such pure terror at any point in my life. I started running around frantically. This way, back the other way. Looking. Behind the butcher’s counter? No. Trying not to panic. In the stock room? No. Starting to panic. Hiding behind the display of ketchup? No. Short of breath. So, I started jogging down the aisles, calling for him.
And I found him and then I found my breath.
He was standing in the snack aisle looking a bit frustrated that I had taken so long to find him. For a toddler boy, life is a game and this was a game of hide and seek, nothing more. For the parent of a toddler boy, the game of life can be a trying one.
Oh, I nearly forgot the best part. When I found the bastard he was making eyes at one of the Woolies employees stocking the shelves. An employee who, when he saw the relief wash over my face as I sprinted round the corner, said “Hi Chris. Nice parenting.”
An employee who was one of my students. I can’t wait for my lecture tomorrow.
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A true classic, “London Calling” by The Clash, is available from 
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We’ve all had that happen. Well, not in front of a student. It is the scariest 2 minutes of your life. My son did it at Heathrow and I bought an arm leash before the trip back.
heather´s last blog ..A Cautionary Song
I swear my heart was beating a little faster there for a minute. Whew!
HereInFranklin´s last blog ..CMA Music Fest–Helpful Hints
Oh wow, we’ve all gone those frightening moments in a public place when we believe our child has run off or been taken. There also is that split second when we have to decide whether to hit the panic button and start screaming and dashing about. After all, the kid might be around the corner or in the adjacent aisle. When Boy Z gets a tad older, you’ll definitely want to give him a “job” to do at the grocery store like pushing the cart, holding the list or retrieving the food item. This in turn will keep him closer.
Damon´s last blog ..Random Tuesday and 3/4
See, those sugary snacks really are bad. They lure little children…
Theresa B´s last blog ..School’s out…
Yes, yes, that first time, both the catching & the losing.
Fun times indeed!
Speakin’ of The Clash & of kids, mebbe in a few years, he’ll be doin’ this like my 8 year old (who also still gets lost sometimes as well)~
http://sweetestbaboon.blogspot.com/2009/05/should-jack-stay-or-should-he-go.html
robt seda-schreiber´s last blog ..what’s in a name…
‘I wasn’t born, so much as I fell out’
Favorite lyric ever. Good song too.
ghost of keywork´s last blog ..Full Circle
Dear God!
I’ve got four kids, and I’ve done the “Where’s my KID?!” thing twice.
Once, during a parade that ran behind our downtown home. My daughter, then 4, decided to take off after the swarm of bikers that preceded the parade. The police found her about five blocks from home.
The other was when my son, age 3, took off out the back door while my wife was in the bathroom. The police found him about four blocks away playing in a church playground.
Them are some scary times, indeed. Glad your little guy didn’t get so far away . . .
And congrats on the catching thing. Wait until you teach him to ride a bike . . .
tysdaddy´s last blog ..Magic
Yeesh. The only thing worse than losing your kid is to have to take crap about it from one of your students. (Actually, I’m sure losing your kid in the supermarket is much worse. But the student thing doesn’t help.)
I now know what you mean when you describe Boy Z as a toddler terrorist. My 2-year-old visitor just left, and I am EXHAUSTED, even though his two parents were here too. I didn’t realize how on edge I was, following his every move to make sure he didn’t bust his head open on a piece of furniture, until he left. Now I want to take a long nap.
courtney´s last blog ..It’s Easy To Be Green When There’s Free Stuff Involved
It’s happened to me with my daughter and it is one of the worst feelings in the world. I can’t imagine how it would feel to never have that relief of finding your child. I mean all those parents who lost a child never to find them again? Shudder. If your student doesn’t have a child of his own, he can shut his mouth if you ask me. As for the first catch – my husband would be truly jealous to read your story. He wants a boy athlete something awful.
Gwen´s last blog ..Stabbing and Stones
great comment by your student
nursemyra´s last blog ..mismatch made in heaven
Therein lies the lesson all parents learn the hard way. Including myself.
The Unbearable Banishment´s last blog ..things to do in cleveland when not at a funeral
Yippee and yikes! Exciting and scary. Such is the life of a parent!
Totally random, if you ever want to change your blog slogan (especially after AFF is born) you might think about On top of the world, down under (if you already entertained this one, just ignore the sleep deprived lunatic over here).
April´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday: One Patient Kitty
“Boy Z, just remember your Papa when you’re..the Man of the Match at Lord’s Cricket Ground after thrashing England in the Ashes.”
The Aussies need all the help they can get!
“Boy Z, just remember your Papa when you’re..the Man of the Match at Lord’s Cricket Ground after thrashing England in the Ashes.”
Us Aussies need all the help we can get!
Gah. I have not yet had the pleasure, but I am sure when it happens it will be a doozie. Brilliant that it happened in front of a student, though.
NATUI´s last blog ..Being the Bigger Person
Heather – As a dog owner, I can’t do the leash thing. Too much control for me.
HIF – Mine too.
Damon – I usually do give him a job. I don’t know what I was thinking. I nearly hit the panic button, but am glad that I didn’t.
Theresa – It was the salty snack aisle
Robt – That’s what is a little disturbing – the FIRST time.
Ghost – I’m a big fan of:
Phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust
London calling, see we ain’t got no swing
‘Cept for the ring of that truncheon thing
Tys – I think I would quite literally soil myself if I found my kid multiple blocks from home.
Gwen – See, I’d rather a girl. But I’ve been warming to the idea of a boy.
Courtney – try it on a daily basis. I don’t remember the last time I got 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Nursie – Well, an accurate one anyway.
April – Yep, wait for it. Your little one will be disappearing before you know it.
Agnes – Maybe not against England.
NATUI – Really? I figured that this had happened to every parent at least once.
And did you get the lecture from your student?
Did Z get his Cheezels?
Is the Big W at Cumberland Park still depressing?
headbang8´s last blog ..Detectible Differences
I’m so lost in the supermarket…
My son likes the Clash. My wife fears it’s genetic.
yellojkt´s last blog ..Total Eclipse Of The Charts
Oooooooh AWESOME! I was excited he caught the ball and more excited that you found him! Little cad, making eyes at one of your students.
mongoliangirl´s last blog ..And then again, I don’t.
Oh man, that is such a horrible feeling!!!! The gone child feeling that is, not the boy makes you unbelievably proud one – that’s a great feeling! My boy snuck inside the house one time and then got scared because he heard people he didn’t know calling him outside (where it was getting dark in the fourth largest city in the US & neighbors were helping me look). So logically he hid behind the couch. NOT a fun memory! Funny about your student being the one to find him.
I LOVE that last picture!! So sweet.
Jill/Twipply Skwood´s last blog ..It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone’s Covered in Barf
When Sparky was 5, he didn’t tell me he was going to visit his little friend 2 houses away. When I realized he wasn’t home I went knocking on doors, including that friend’s house, but couldn’t find him. Turns out they were in the basement and didn’t hear me. Not knowing that at the time, I panicked and called the police who started canvassing the neighborhood. As I stood outside my house trying very hard not to cry as I told the policeman what he was wearing, he came out of his friend’s house clutching several cookies. I could have strangled him, but instead asked the policeman to speak with him about telling his now-aged mother where he was going as I didn’t trust myself to speak without either yelling or crying.
A couple of months later I had a patient whose son was going to stop by and pay him a 1am visit as the son was a local cop – fine by me. Until I walked into the room and found the policeman was one of the ones who was outside my house when Sparky came home and he remembered me! Fantastic. I jokingly told him I would do my best not to lose his father during his hospitalization.
Mooselet´s last blog ..Clive’s "Condition"
Oh god, I feel your pain. I lost the boy in a crowded driveway at a family gathering. I ran in and out, between 10 parked vehicles, hoping like hell that he hadn’t gone beyond the driveway, that he wasn’t under one of the vehicles. And when I found him, he was similar to Z in his annoyance. Only it wasn’t a student who saw it happen, it was my mother in law.
So very glad it all worked out.
Ginny´s last blog ..Inappropriateness Abounds
These things happen. At the very least, there was somebody there keeping an eye on him. That’s got to be some comfort, right? Not that anything erases those moments when your heart stops beating, but it’s nice to know that everything worked out okay. I’m glad about that!
Sarah @ BecomingSarah.com´s last blog ..June gloom.
I’m sure that must be a very frightening experience. I can’t imagine going through something like that.
Hopefully the “lecture” won’t be too bad.
Headbang – Surprisingly, no. I was moaning to Dr. O’C about the lack of respect my Australian students show (Anglo? White Australian? I don’t know what the right term is.) I like my international students better. They call me Dr.
All Big W’s are depressing.
Yello – I hope my music taste is genetic, but I think it’s environmental.
Jill – Hiding inside while you were looking outside? Nice.
Mooselet – Having the cop talk to him probably instilled a healthy amount of fear into the boy as well.
Mongola – I think ‘making eyes’ was the wrong phrasing. I should have said ‘eyeing up’.
Ginny – Mother-in-law is definitely worse than student.
Sarah – I don’t think my student was really looking out for him, just somewhat bemused that a random toddler was running unsupervised around his shop.
SIS – Wasn’t.
Horrible post! How can we possibly focus on the awesome catch Z made and comment on that, when you follow it up with that?
I haven’t (obviously) had that happen yet, but it did happen with my nephew about 13 or so years ago. At a 7-11. Me and his mother were outside and he disappeared. She went absolutely APESHIT BONKERS!! Turns out, the little one was half in and half out of the chest freezer inside the 7-11 that contains all the icecream snacks.
But, seriously awesome that he caught the ball. I wonder if it’ll be more exciting when he does it one handed and pretends that it was no big deal.
Joe´s last blog ..How do I get this car out of second gear?
So glad you found him quickly! It tickles me that he was in the snack aisle.
Gypsy´s last blog ..Knowing hope
Oh, that is SO scary! I have had mini episodes like that, but they didn’t get quite so far away!
Really embarrassing that your student witnessed it.
Jessica K´s last blog ..Hummingbirds
Ah yes. The ‘where the f*** have they gone they were here 2 secs ago how can they have disappeared in that time I only looked away for a minute’ feeling. Know it well. Mind you we did a lot worse to our parents. At 12, a group of us went ahead of them on a bushwalk near Wilpena Pound and were ‘lost’ for 2 hours. Of course we didn’t think we were lost and so were cheerful and unaware of the nightmare our parents had been living in thick bush as evening approached. I think it was the closest my dad ever came to killing me.
Nice catch though Zac.
arizaphale´s last blog ..It’s Happening In English Classes Too
Although I’m not a parent I know I did my fair share of getting lost as a child- in Winn Dixie, Eckerd Drug, even in Disney World. So I am sure my poor mother could relate to your terror.
Thank goodness for the happy ending. Great story, and certainly not likely to be the last!
Erin´s last blog ..Photoshop : Cedar Key, Florida
Good times. They keep us on our toes no? And everytime I get too big for my britches and puffed up thinking I am the best mum ever? They do something that lands me flat on my butt back at Parenting 101. Sigh.
chris´s last blog ..Things I Do When I Should Be Working
Joe – I’m working on the one handed grab right now. Wait for it.
Gypsy – He was looking for some junk food.
JK – I know, I’m a lot more vigilant now.
Ariza – I’m pretty sure he didn’t think he was lost either. That’s the thing he was just pissed that I wasn’t playing the game.
Erin – Is it true they have a detention facility for lost kids at Disney?
Chris – Exactly. It’s a frickin’ roller coaster ride.
Congrats on the future athlete.
And you know I love that song.