Oh, Lord... And then some.. When he was about 4, my oldest asked he if could pop next door (literally their place N ours was only separated by driveway) to visit the 4 yr old living there. My missus saw no harm in it, and let him go.. I would've done the same. Off he went, only to discover the 4 yr old neighbour didn't feel well, couldn't play in either their or our back yards. So, does mister decide to come straight back home? Nossir!!!
He decides he wants to go window shopping, apparently had seen some interesting toys the last time he was there WITH us in tow. Problem was he didn't ask permission, or for parental accompaniement, just set off on his own... despite it being about 1 1/2 - 2 FREAKIN MILES away. his AWOL status was discovered within about 1 hour, when the missus called next door to see if he was behaving... That's when the panic set in. She called me at work... about 20 miles away at the time, called the police, and called my father.. Between us all, we scoured the place, every nook and cranny.. checking all the most dangerous parts of town first.. dockyards, terminals, train stations, lakes... At about the 3 1/2 hour mark, my Dad found him at the Mall.. Now, I dont' know if Dad checked there on a hunch, or just from years of experience.. Anyway, as for mister, all was well. for us old folks, it was N remains an unforgetable afternoon. You know, for anyone who wants their kids to refrain from sex, all that is really needed is to compile stories like this, and make it required reading in elementary/jr high schools. It has 0 in the way of sex talk involved; but it just might scare the bejeepers out of teens wanting to try it. anyway, my apologies for hijacking this thread, OK?
