My 2 year old daughter asked for a snack so I was in the kitchen making it. Meanwhile, she opened the front door and our dog got out...she followed. By the time I brought her snack in the living room she was all the way down the street. I felt sick. To make matters worse my neighbor was leaving his house and saw the whole thing. Last summer we thought she had escaped again, because she wasn't anywhere to be found in the house. We ran outside panicked. The same neighbor helped looked for her. My son found her asleep UNDER her bed. Does this make me a horrible parent? It was so incredibly scary to see her walking down the street.
2007-02-11 07:07:24 · 19 answers · asked by Traci J 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
No, you're not horrible. Kids have a funny way of sneaking off like that. One day I needed to take a shower, so I locked the doors to the house and set DS down with a movie. When I got out, he was nowhere to be found. We live next to a church, and I found him playing out behind it. Freaked me out - our road is a major highway, and I don't know what I'd have done if he'd gotten out in the road.
Now that you know she can escape, you'll just have to anticipate her next move.
2007-02-11 07:25:38 · answer #1 · answered by Amanda M 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Oh honey you are NOT a bad parent. This happens so much more often then you think (or other parents will suck up and be honest about)
While this has never happened to me, I had something similar happen last summer. My then 2 year old snuck out onto the back patio (which fortunately completely fenced in with a locked gate) however for the few moments I couldn't find her, I too felt sick and then like crappy mom of year shortly after.
I installed higher locks on all our doors as a result. I even installed a chain lock on our new front door for this very reason- my daughters cannot reach it.
It's ok. Calm down, breathe and make sure you tell her *Never EVER* do that again- it scared you AND it was very dangerous.
Good luck. I have two toddlers myself, and they are a handful!
2007-02-11 07:15:43 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
Not horrible but maybe mistaken about your child's intelligence. She's obviously smart, you just have to be smarter. Always lock the door/screen door when in the house. Put the "slip" knobs over the regular door knobs. A lock up high on the screen doors will also prevent slip outs.
It takes a while to train everyone to lock the door when inside but besides the above reason, I hate door-to-door salesmen without that barrier between us. Hang in there and if the neighbor has ever had kids, he'll understand. If not, oh well, stuff happens. As long as it's not a day to day thing it's not worth worrying about what he thinks.
2007-02-11 07:33:55 · answer #3 · answered by Chloe 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are NOT a horrible parent. When i was much younger, My four year old brother with downsynsdrome was playing outside in the drive way with me and we went inside for the phone. He grabbed the mail keys and I grabbed the phone. WHen I hung up he wasn't there. We found him five minutes later at the mail box checking the mail. We then put special tings on the door handles found at walmart and gates on the doors. He hasnt escaped since!!! It was scary at first but in the end it taught us to be better at saftey and know that we should be more atentive to one another.
2007-02-11 07:14:25 · answer #4 · answered by ♥ Angie ♥ 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My 3 year old loves cars and I happen to have one sitting in my drive way that doesn't go anywhere. Before I put locks at the top of my doors my son would wait until I took a bathroom break or a shower and go out to the car and pretend to drive it (it doesn't have and engine yet) it only took one time of him throwing a fit when he realized he couldn't open the door for him to stop trying.
2007-02-11 22:08:10 · answer #5 · answered by funny_girl_1974 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
its happened to me, my daughter (who is 3 now) has done almost the same thing. she ran out of the side door which didnt have a good lock (we didnt know she knew how to unlock it either) and was looking outside for something and i ran out after her (at the time i was in the next room getting her books picked up) anyway i got so scared and caught up with her while she was still in the yard. a few weeks later, i thought she ran out, i went all the way down the street searching and then my dad called to tell me that she was hiding in their closet playing "hide and go seek" which she didnt understand i gotta know when we are playing or i wont go looking lol. it is a scary thing. but i dont think it makes u a horrible parent. it happens to plenty of people. the bad ones are when it happens and they realize it for hours.
2007-02-11 07:17:34 · answer #6 · answered by Lil mzz green eyez 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My sister had to put an alarm on the front door because her 3 year old kept getting out and there was no lock that could be opened from the outside that he couldn't open from the inside. He'd pull chairs over and everything.
Just find a way to keep your daughter safe, whatever that may be.
2007-02-11 07:11:18 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I would leave for sure. I would go in the middle of the night, or when they are out. I would take as much as I could find, haha. I would go to another family members house because if I told them why I left, they wouldnt tell my parents. Steal their car and drive illegally to a bus stop or something. Then ride to my family members house. Probbaly not that smart, since a police officer could pull me over, but what else could I do? I would just say I was going to visit a family member for a while. You dont need to include details. I would want to get to my family members house, before I start trying to get my parents in trouble. I would take anything I needed. Just go raid the kitchen and get the food that wont spoil, grab some water bottles and thats it. You could also stop somewhere to buy food, since you just stole all their money. For clothes, Id just pack our necessities. :D
2016-03-29 02:23:34 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thankfully I can say no. Our front door sticks a bit so it's too hard for my 3 year old to open. If I were you I would either put a deadbolt up at the top of the door, put one of those child safe knob handles on, or go buy one of those cheap alarms at Walmart that sounds when the door is opened.
2007-02-11 07:11:13 · answer #9 · answered by Heather Y 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My daughter's "escaped" twice, and I still consider myself a good mother. The first time she opened the door that leads to the garage, hit the button to open the garage, helped herself to a popsicle from the deep freeze, and went to the driveway. I was beside myself with panic! I relocated the garage door button and added a (second) child lock to the door.
The second time I left my daughter with my mom at our home. We had a double fence and one was ripped but not noticeable, and the outer gate was left unlatched by Grandma being careless. I wasn't home but my mom told me she went to check on her and she and the dogs were at the stop sign - that's 4 houses away!
You can't undo the past. Just learn where the hazards are and correct them. And thank God she wasn't hurt.
2007-02-11 08:33:51 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋