Guilty

Bahamas pictures forthcoming, but first a confession--it finally happened, I lost my child in a public place.  It happened at church yesterday.  John and I left the sanctuary and went to the building where the kids have Sunday school.   We stopped by Anna's classroom to get her--she walked out and stood behind me, next to John, while I chatted with our preschool ministry director.  John walked down the hallway to get Will, and when I turned around, Anna was gone.  I assumed she had gone with John, so I walked down the longer hallway, through some swinging doors (that are usually propped open but yesterday were not), and to the doorway of the big room where Will has class.  Will and John were walking toward me, but I didn't see Anna--John said she hadn't come with him.

I ran down a different hallway back to the nursery, but she wasn't there.  I immediately panicked, envisioning her going out the door into the busy parking lot and getting hit by a car.  I ran outside, didn't see her, then ran back in to see John carrying her.  He had gone down the longer hallway (where I had been earlier) and saw her on the other side of the doors, crying.  It was clear she knew she was lost--her face was covered with tears and her eyes were red, and she just hugged me and wouldn't talk for quite awhile.  She finally perked up by the time we got home, but I was still shaky.

I wasn't entirely sure what had happened until later in the afternoon, when Anna was helping me with the laundry.  She looked up at me and said, "Mommy lock door.  Na-na cwying.  At church.  Mommy lock door.  Na-na cwying."

I realized she must have followed me down the hall (I bet she had wandered off to look at an aquarium at the other end of the hall when I didn't see her), but was far enough behind me that the swinging doors shut behind me and she couldn't get them open.  So she didn't get lost--she thought I left her.  Is that sad or what?  Bad mommy. :-(