TOTALLY GEEKED!

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Five-year-old boy who died after wandering off from Grand Canyon campsite

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Pour kid. He was probably scared.

But "environmental exposure"? What does that even mean? 4 hours isn't enough time to dehydrate and I doubt he starved to death. Was it too cold or too hot? If he laid down and went to sleep and just didn't wake up, that's kind of strange for a healthy 5 yr old even in the wilderness.

I know what to do_sometimes · Frozen Sucks!

lilyofcourse wrote:
Pour kid. He was probably scared.

But "environmental exposure"? What does that even mean? 4 hours isn't enough time to dehydrate and I doubt he starved to death. Was it too cold or too hot? If he laid down and went to sleep and just didn't wake up, that's kind of strange for a healthy 5 yr old even in the wilderness.

Yeah that is strange, perhaps there is some other health factor not being reported.

FNW · Guru

Very sad. Good that he died in his sleep. But so very sad. And odd. Only 100-200 feet from the campsite? 20 campers in his group? Enough to set up a search of the perimeter, in broad daylight nonetheless, and no one found him? I have to wonder whether anyone even noticed he was missing.

Call me a helicopter mom if you want, but at age 5, I always made damn sure I knew where my kids were, even inside the home. I wasn't watching their every move, but I at least knew if they were upstairs, downstairs, on on the main floor. If they were in the bathroom too long I went in to make sure they weren't into the medicine drawer, etc. I sure as heck would keep an eye on them at all times if we were in the wilderness.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

True. At 5, you have to be fully aware of where they are.

If it were a group of kids playing, I can see one wondering off but just one kid?

huskerbb · Guru

FNW wrote:
Very sad. Good that he died in his sleep. But so very sad. And odd. Only 100-200 feet from the campsite? 20 campers in his group? Enough to set up a search of the perimeter, in broad daylight nonetheless, and no one found him? I have to wonder whether anyone even noticed he was missing.

Call me a helicopter mom if you want, but at age 5, I always made damn sure I knew where my kids were, even inside the home. I wasn't watching their every move, but I at least knew if they were upstairs, downstairs, on on the main floor. If they were in the bathroom too long I went in to make sure they weren't into the medicine drawer, etc. I sure as heck would keep an eye on them at all times if we were in the wilderness.

It says his mother was with him And just lost sight of him.

FNW · Guru

We know they waited 4 hours to call a search party, but I wonder how long after she "lost sight" she started looking.

huskerbb · Guru

FNW wrote:
We know they waited 4 hours to call a search party, but I wonder how long after she "lost sight" she started looking.

Probably right away--but you never think it's bad enough to call the authorities until it is. She probably looked on her own for quite a while, then she probably went back to camp and got help. 4 hours really isn't a great deal of time, especially when you believe he can't have gone far and you're thinking you'll find him soon.

FNW · Guru

Five minutes is a long time when you can't find your child. Especially in the wilderness. At least for me, because I'm not an outdoorsy type. Critters freak me out, especially the big hairy ones.

huskerbb · Guru

FNW wrote:
Five minutes is a long time when you can't find your child. Especially in the wilderness. At least for me, because I'm not an outdoorsy type. Critters freak me out, especially the big hairy ones.

But I don't think even the authorities would expect to get called out when someone is only missing for a few minutes.

msrock · Guru

I just read an update on this story. We wandered for four miles in the wrong direction before he succumbed to exposure. Poor kid... and family. cry

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Why would he die from exposure? That doesn't even make sense. There is no reason a healthy kid cant survive overnight in the woods in the summer. That's bizarre. I am starting to think there is much more involved in all these people dropping dead in the woods in a few hours stories.

Lexxy · My dog name is Sasha, too!

I think the dessert goes from hot to cold very quickly when the sun goes down at that altitude. I know when we drove from Scottsdale to the GC it went from 80 & sunny to snowing when we got there. This was in April.

So he may have been dressed for the heat of the day & then it got very cold.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Yes, but wouldn't the average person survive one night?

Lexxy · My dog name is Sasha, too!

I honestly don't know. Maybe after he fell asleep hypothermia set in. I'm sure we will learn more after the autopsy.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Yes, but I guess I would want to hear what the temps were. It seems like that should be easily survivable.

Rally · Newbie

In the high desert areas, where the Grand Canyon is, temperatures can swing widely in a day. A 5 year old child is, usually, very small so he probably had a hard time maintaining body heat. Very sad!

burns07 · Guru

the article is rather confusing--was the kid missing for five days all together ?--a small child could easily die of exposure over that time period but how long was he actually out in the wilderness ?

Lexxy · My dog name is Sasha, too!

He was missing for 5 days but the preliminary findings say he most likely didn't survive the first night.

apple · Guru

msrock wrote:
I just read an update on this story. We wandered for four miles in the wrong direction before he succumbed to exposure. Poor kid... and family.

This.. how very sad. :(

Mellow Momma · Sniff...sniff, sniff. Yay! A Bum!

huskerbb wrote:
FNW wrote:
Five minutes is a long time when you can't find your child. Especially in the wilderness. At least for me, because I'm not an outdoorsy type. Critters freak me out, especially the big hairy ones.
But I don't think even the authorities would expect to get called out when someone is only missing for a few minutes.

My daughter was missing once and after 20 minutes of not being able to find her we called the police. It was about an hour and 15 minutes before we found her. I read once that the chances of finding a missing child after the first hour drastically reduce so when it was 20 minutes and we didn't find her, I knew we didn't have much time to lose. She was 6 years old and the cops were concerned when they arrived. I was actually surprised at how concerned they were - it worried me even more.

FNW · Guru

Oh, MM, what happened? That is so scary. I remember when the boys were 2 I was picking them up from pre-school. As I was signing them out, #1 disappeared. The front door was open, and I told #2 to stay put and I went out yelling his name. It was such a blur, I almost collapsed. I panicked. Then I went back inside to tell them he "got away", but he came toddling down the hall. He had gone back to his room.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

Mellow Momma wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
FNW wrote:
Five minutes is a long time when you can't find your child. Especially in the wilderness. At least for me, because I'm not an outdoorsy type. Critters freak me out, especially the big hairy ones.
But I don't think even the authorities would expect to get called out when someone is only missing for a few minutes.
My daughter was missing once and after 20 minutes of not being able to find her we called the police. It was about an hour and 15 minutes before we found her. I read once that the chances of finding a missing child after the first hour drastically reduce so when it was 20 minutes and we didn't find her, I knew we didn't have much time to lose. She was 6 years old and the cops were concerned when they arrived. I was actually surprised at how concerned they were - it worried me even more.

Yes - if they are close by, they will be found quickly. If they are not found within a few minutes - help needs to be called.

When I was a nanny so many eons ago, my charge did not come home from school. He and his playdate were supposed to come home, but the car pool did not drop them off. I called her and she said they never came out of the school so she assumed when I said "playdate" that he was going to someone else's house. NOOOOO. So we were in a panic and she went back to the school while I waited at the house JIC and she didn't find them. Finally, after about an hour of the principal and everyone looking, it was discovered that the other kid's mom had come to the school, taken them out of car line and taken them to the playground - without telling me. That was the longest hour of my life. I went to the playground and got him and was not very nice to that mother. I called my boss and told her - she was just glad I resolved it before telling her since she was at least an hour away.

I have been very strict with my kids about wandering off. The rule is they must ALWAYS be able to see me and vice versa - and they get in big trouble if that rule is broken.

huskerbb · Guru

Lawyerlady wrote:
Mellow Momma wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
FNW wrote:
Five minutes is a long time when you can't find your child. Especially in the wilderness. At least for me, because I'm not an outdoorsy type. Critters freak me out, especially the big hairy ones.
But I don't think even the authorities would expect to get called out when someone is only missing for a few minutes.
My daughter was missing once and after 20 minutes of not being able to find her we called the police. It was about an hour and 15 minutes before we found her. I read once that the chances of finding a missing child after the first hour drastically reduce so when it was 20 minutes and we didn't find her, I knew we didn't have much time to lose. She was 6 years old and the cops were concerned when they arrived. I was actually surprised at how concerned they were - it worried me even more.

Yes - if they are close by, they will be found quickly. If they are not found within a few minutes - help needs to be called.

When I was a nanny so many eons ago, my charge did not come home from school. He and his playdate were supposed to come home, but the car pool did not drop them off. I called her and she said they never came out of the school so she assumed when I said "playdate" that he was going to someone else's house. NOOOOO. So we were in a panic and she went back to the school while I waited at the house JIC and she didn't find them. Finally, after about an hour of the principal and everyone looking, it was discovered that the other kid's mom had come to the school, taken them out of car line and taken them to the playground - without telling me. That was the longest hour of my life. I went to the playground and got him and was not very nice to that mother. I called my boss and told her - she was just glad I resolved it before telling her since she was at least an hour away.
I have been very strict with my kids about wandering off. The rule is they must ALWAYS be able to see me and vice versa - and they get in big trouble if that rule is broken.

That's absurd. A "few minutes" is ridiculous. I can't believe the police would even take it seriously until at least an hour--and even using your example there would not have been any reason to involve the authorities.

Ohfour · Hooker

My son wandered away from me at an amusement park when he was 11. Within minutes, all access gates had been locked and rides were stalled. He was in the bathroom. So, yes, they do respond within a few minutes. They could be dead in an hour...

huskerbb · Guru

Great. Your son had to pee somtheyn shut down an entire park--and as it turned out, there was absoslutlely no reason to do so.

Ohfour · Hooker

huskerbb wrote:
Great. Your son had to pee somtheyn shut down an entire park--and as it turned out, there was absoslutlely no reason to do so.

Better to be safe than sorry.

FNW · Guru

That says a lot about the park. Kudos to them!

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

huskerbb wrote:
Lawyerlady wrote:
Mellow Momma wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
FNW wrote:
Five minutes is a long time when you can't find your child. Especially in the wilderness. At least for me, because I'm not an outdoorsy type. Critters freak me out, especially the big hairy ones.
But I don't think even the authorities would expect to get called out when someone is only missing for a few minutes.
My daughter was missing once and after 20 minutes of not being able to find her we called the police. It was about an hour and 15 minutes before we found her. I read once that the chances of finding a missing child after the first hour drastically reduce so when it was 20 minutes and we didn't find her, I knew we didn't have much time to lose. She was 6 years old and the cops were concerned when they arrived. I was actually surprised at how concerned they were - it worried me even more.

Yes - if they are close by, they will be found quickly. If they are not found within a few minutes - help needs to be called.

When I was a nanny so many eons ago, my charge did not come home from school. He and his playdate were supposed to come home, but the car pool did not drop them off. I called her and she said they never came out of the school so she assumed when I said "playdate" that he was going to someone else's house. NOOOOO. So we were in a panic and she went back to the school while I waited at the house JIC and she didn't find them. Finally, after about an hour of the principal and everyone looking, it was discovered that the other kid's mom had come to the school, taken them out of car line and taken them to the playground - without telling me. That was the longest hour of my life. I went to the playground and got him and was not very nice to that mother. I called my boss and told her - she was just glad I resolved it before telling her since she was at least an hour away.
I have been very strict with my kids about wandering off. The rule is they must ALWAYS be able to see me and vice versa - and they get in big trouble if that rule is broken.
That's absurd. A "few minutes" is ridiculous. I can't believe the police would even take it seriously until at least an hour--and even using your example there would not have been any reason to involve the authorities.

Except you don't KNOW until they are found and if they have been taken, waiting longer could make it too late. You actually don't have the benefit of hindsight when it is happening.

Ohfour · Hooker

FNW wrote:
That says a lot about the park. Kudos to them!

It was Kennywood, right outside of Pittsburgh. That is the cleanest, most family friendly park I have ever been to. You can even bring in your own food!

FNW · Guru

Wow. That's wonderful!

Parks should be family-friendly. And that means stopping everything when a child is reported missing. If I were patronizing this park and rides stopped for a missing child, I'd be keeping a look out for the child, not bitching about having to wait.

Mellow Momma · Sniff...sniff, sniff. Yay! A Bum!

huskerbb wrote:
Lawyerlady wrote:
Mellow Momma wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
FNW wrote:
Five minutes is a long time when you can't find your child. Especially in the wilderness. At least for me, because I'm not an outdoorsy type. Critters freak me out, especially the big hairy ones.
But I don't think even the authorities would expect to get called out when someone is only missing for a few minutes.
My daughter was missing once and after 20 minutes of not being able to find her we called the police. It was about an hour and 15 minutes before we found her. I read once that the chances of finding a missing child after the first hour drastically reduce so when it was 20 minutes and we didn't find her, I knew we didn't have much time to lose. She was 6 years old and the cops were concerned when they arrived. I was actually surprised at how concerned they were - it worried me even more.

Yes - if they are close by, they will be found quickly. If they are not found within a few minutes - help needs to be called.

When I was a nanny so many eons ago, my charge did not come home from school. He and his playdate were supposed to come home, but the car pool did not drop them off. I called her and she said they never came out of the school so she assumed when I said "playdate" that he was going to someone else's house. NOOOOO. So we were in a panic and she went back to the school while I waited at the house JIC and she didn't find them. Finally, after about an hour of the principal and everyone looking, it was discovered that the other kid's mom had come to the school, taken them out of car line and taken them to the playground - without telling me. That was the longest hour of my life. I went to the playground and got him and was not very nice to that mother. I called my boss and told her - she was just glad I resolved it before telling her since she was at least an hour away.
I have been very strict with my kids about wandering off. The rule is they must ALWAYS be able to see me and vice versa - and they get in big trouble if that rule is broken.
That's absurd. A "few minutes" is ridiculous. I can't believe the police would even take it seriously until at least an hour--and even using your example there would not have been any reason to involve the authorities.

The authorities actually took it very very seriously. She had been gone for 20 minutes and I had over 30 people searching for her and she was not around in shouting distance anywhere. So the authorities put out an Amber Alert for her immediately. They knew, as did I, that if a child isn't found in the first hour they child is very very likely not to be found alive. The clock is ticking and the authorities actually do NOT want you to wait until that hour is up. If they need to gather clues, they want the trail to be fresh. The police gave me zero indication that I was being ridiculous and every indication that I had done the right thing.

Mellow Momma · Sniff...sniff, sniff. Yay! A Bum!

FNW wrote:
Oh, MM, what happened? That is so scary. I remember when the boys were 2 I was picking them up from pre-school. As I was signing them out, #1 disappeared. The front door was open, and I told #2 to stay put and I went out yelling his name. It was such a blur, I almost collapsed. I panicked. Then I went back inside to tell them he "got away", but he came toddling down the hall. He had gone back to his room.

We were at a park for DD1's soccer practice and DD2 was playing with a boy her age. They asked if they could walk over to meet up with his sister (who was 16) and they wandered off. They wandered into the woods near where his sister was, found a creek, and followed that creek 3 miles away to a main road. They were found playing in the creek by someone who was driving on the main road searching for them (a friend of ours). He parked his car and walked them back to where we were. It was the longest hour and a half of my entire life and I don't wish that experience on my worst enemy. If you have never had to give the police a description of your child so that an Amber Alert can go out...you don't know the definition of terrified. I had panic attacks every time she wandered out of my sight after that for about 6months. Every person at the soccer practice was looking for them, all the parents and all the kids. Every one was shouting and calling their names. I knew that the kids should be able to hear us, and the fact that they were not responding terrified me.

I would never ever judge someone for calling the police when their child was missing. A few minutes could make the difference betwwen life and death.

DD and the boy she wandered off with still keep in touch. To this day, DD1's friends will occasionally say "remember that day DD2 and Frankie were missing?"

huskerbb · Guru

Mellow Momma wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
Lawyerlady wrote:
Mellow Momma wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
FNW wrote:
Five minutes is a long time when you can't find your child. Especially in the wilderness. At least for me, because I'm not an outdoorsy type. Critters freak me out, especially the big hairy ones.
But I don't think even the authorities would expect to get called out when someone is only missing for a few minutes.
My daughter was missing once and after 20 minutes of not being able to find her we called the police. It was about an hour and 15 minutes before we found her. I read once that the chances of finding a missing child after the first hour drastically reduce so when it was 20 minutes and we didn't find her, I knew we didn't have much time to lose. She was 6 years old and the cops were concerned when they arrived. I was actually surprised at how concerned they were - it worried me even more.

Yes - if they are close by, they will be found quickly. If they are not found within a few minutes - help needs to be called.

When I was a nanny so many eons ago, my charge did not come home from school. He and his playdate were supposed to come home, but the car pool did not drop them off. I called her and she said they never came out of the school so she assumed when I said "playdate" that he was going to someone else's house. NOOOOO. So we were in a panic and she went back to the school while I waited at the house JIC and she didn't find them. Finally, after about an hour of the principal and everyone looking, it was discovered that the other kid's mom had come to the school, taken them out of car line and taken them to the playground - without telling me. That was the longest hour of my life. I went to the playground and got him and was not very nice to that mother. I called my boss and told her - she was just glad I resolved it before telling her since she was at least an hour away.
I have been very strict with my kids about wandering off. The rule is they must ALWAYS be able to see me and vice versa - and they get in big trouble if that rule is broken.
That's absurd. A "few minutes" is ridiculous. I can't believe the police would even take it seriously until at least an hour--and even using your example there would not have been any reason to involve the authorities.
The authorities actually took it very very seriously. She had been gone for 20 minutes and I had over 30 people searching for her and she was not around in shouting distance anywhere. So the authorities put out an Amber Alert for her immediately. They knew, as did I, that if a child isn't found in the first hour they child is very very likely not to be found alive. The clock is ticking and the authorities actually do NOT want you to wait until that hour is up. If they need to gather clues, they want the trail to be fresh. The police gave me zero indication that I was being ridiculous and every indication that I had done the right thing.

No. You are misquoting the statistic. If there is a KIDNAPPING and they aren't found in the first hour they will probably not be found alive. Most kids who wander off are NOT kidnapped. ]

The FACT is in the example you gave, they weren't kidnapped and were perfectly safe. Much ado about nothing.

huskerbb · Guru

FNW wrote:
Wow. That's wonderful!

Parks should be family-friendly. And that means stopping everything when a child is reported missing. If I were patronizing this park and rides stopped for a missing child, I'd be keeping a look out for the child, not bitching about having to wait.

The kid was in the bathroom. Much ado about NOTHING.

So we should now shut down all amusement parks when kids have to pee?

NAOW · Vette's SS

huskerbb wrote:
Mellow Momma wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
Lawyerlady wrote:
Mellow Momma wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
FNW wrote:
Five minutes is a long time when you can't find your child. Especially in the wilderness. At least for me, because I'm not an outdoorsy type. Critters freak me out, especially the big hairy ones.
But I don't think even the authorities would expect to get called out when someone is only missing for a few minutes.
My daughter was missing once and after 20 minutes of not being able to find her we called the police. It was about an hour and 15 minutes before we found her. I read once that the chances of finding a missing child after the first hour drastically reduce so when it was 20 minutes and we didn't find her, I knew we didn't have much time to lose. She was 6 years old and the cops were concerned when they arrived. I was actually surprised at how concerned they were - it worried me even more.

Yes - if they are close by, they will be found quickly. If they are not found within a few minutes - help needs to be called.

When I was a nanny so many eons ago, my charge did not come home from school. He and his playdate were supposed to come home, but the car pool did not drop them off. I called her and she said they never came out of the school so she assumed when I said "playdate" that he was going to someone else's house. NOOOOO. So we were in a panic and she went back to the school while I waited at the house JIC and she didn't find them. Finally, after about an hour of the principal and everyone looking, it was discovered that the other kid's mom had come to the school, taken them out of car line and taken them to the playground - without telling me. That was the longest hour of my life. I went to the playground and got him and was not very nice to that mother. I called my boss and told her - she was just glad I resolved it before telling her since she was at least an hour away.
I have been very strict with my kids about wandering off. The rule is they must ALWAYS be able to see me and vice versa - and they get in big trouble if that rule is broken.
That's absurd. A "few minutes" is ridiculous. I can't believe the police would even take it seriously until at least an hour--and even using your example there would not have been any reason to involve the authorities.
The authorities actually took it very very seriously. She had been gone for 20 minutes and I had over 30 people searching for her and she was not around in shouting distance anywhere. So the authorities put out an Amber Alert for her immediately. They knew, as did I, that if a child isn't found in the first hour they child is very very likely not to be found alive. The clock is ticking and the authorities actually do NOT want you to wait until that hour is up. If they need to gather clues, they want the trail to be fresh. The police gave me zero indication that I was being ridiculous and every indication that I had done the right thing.

No. You are misquoting the statistic. If there is a KIDNAPPING and they aren't found in the first hour they will probably not be found alive. Most kids who wander off are NOT kidnapped. ]

The FACT is in the example you gave, they weren't kidnapped and were perfectly safe. Much ado about nothing.

That must have been so scary. And I agree with calling the police, it doesn't take long for a kid to get into a bad situation.

I am really surprised they issued an Amber Alert though. I thought the guidelines were really strictly enforced to a known abduction.

Mellow Momma · Sniff...sniff, sniff. Yay! A Bum!

The child doesn't have to be abducted, missing is enough.

And husker - all I can say about your insensitivity is, I hope your granddaughter is never missing for an hour and you have to live through what I lived through. No matter what you say now, "much ado about nothing" is NOT how you feel. And it is NOT how the police felt about it. It doesn't take more than a tablespoon of water to drown.

Ohfour · Hooker

huskerbb wrote:
FNW wrote:
Wow. That's wonderful!

Parks should be family-friendly. And that means stopping everything when a child is reported missing. If I were patronizing this park and rides stopped for a missing child, I'd be keeping a look out for the child, not bitching about having to wait.
The kid was in the bathroom. Much ado about NOTHING.

So we should now shut down all amusement parks when kids have to pee?

I didnt know that. And yes, we should. Better safe than sorry. I dont know any parent that wouldn't appreciate the effort. Because, you know, thats what parents do...

Mellow Momma · Sniff...sniff, sniff. Yay! A Bum!

I should have mentioned that the Amber Alert in our case was years ago before cell phone alerts. It was for police and also went across the bottom of the TV.

huskerbb · Guru

Mellow Momma wrote:
The child doesn't have to be abducted, missing is enough.

And husker - all I can say about your insensitivity is, I hope your granddaughter is never missing for an hour and you have to live through what I lived through. No matter what you say now, "much ado about nothing" is NOT how you feel. And it is NOT how the police felt about it. It doesn't take more than a tablespoon of water to drown.

Enough for what? The FACT is that the stat YOU quoted was for kids that were/are abducted--not just every kid who might wander off. LOTS of kids wander off and VERY FEW are dead within an hour. The fact that is was newsworthy in this case shows how RARE such a death is.

Also, WTF are you babbling about "insensitivity". Just because I don't agree with you now I'm "insensitive". What a load of bull and such arrogance you have.

You act like you are the only one who ever had a child wander off. I raised two boys, I've had to go looking for them before.

huskerbb · Guru

Ohfour wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
FNW wrote:
Wow. That's wonderful!

Parks should be family-friendly. And that means stopping everything when a child is reported missing. If I were patronizing this park and rides stopped for a missing child, I'd be keeping a look out for the child, not bitching about having to wait.
The kid was in the bathroom. Much ado about NOTHING.

So we should now shut down all amusement parks when kids have to pee?
I didnt know that. And yes, we should. Better safe than sorry. I dont know any parent that wouldn't appreciate the effort. Because, you know, thats what parents do...

"Safe" from what? Peeing his pants? I'm a parent--what I did was look for my child and find them.

Ohfour · Hooker

huskerbb wrote:
Ohfour wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
FNW wrote:
Wow. That's wonderful!

Parks should be family-friendly. And that means stopping everything when a child is reported missing. If I were patronizing this park and rides stopped for a missing child, I'd be keeping a look out for the child, not bitching about having to wait.
The kid was in the bathroom. Much ado about NOTHING.

So we should now shut down all amusement parks when kids have to pee?
I didnt know that. And yes, we should. Better safe than sorry. I dont know any parent that wouldn't appreciate the effort. Because, you know, thats what parents do...
"Safe" from what? Peeing his pants? I'm a parent--what I did was look for my child and find them.

Whatever. ...i was happy with the response of the park. They didnt know, neither did I. I was happy with their actions. As were the other parents. No one cared about being delayed a ride 10 minutes. Not a problem with a normal parent...

huskerbb · Guru

My youngest son wandered off twice that really worried me.

One time was when I was working at a busy county fair. I'm not even sure how long he was gone. He and his brother went to do something (I can't remember what, get some candy or something)--and his brother came back without him and didn't know where he was. I looked myself for quite awhile, and then a half dozen other people or so started helping me. We found him by the rabbits.

The second time was at an amusement park in the Twin Cities. We got separated coming off of a ride. We had to look quite a while--not positive how long, maybe a half an hour--and we found him on a bridge by a water ride that splashed water on those standing on the bridge.

It doesn't get any better when they get older. I came home one night to find one of our pickup trucks parked in the ditch with the door open and no one around. That was scary, too, even though he was 16 or so at the time.

huskerbb · Guru

Ohfour wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
Ohfour wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
FNW wrote:
Wow. That's wonderful!

Parks should be family-friendly. And that means stopping everything when a child is reported missing. If I were patronizing this park and rides stopped for a missing child, I'd be keeping a look out for the child, not bitching about having to wait.
The kid was in the bathroom. Much ado about NOTHING.

So we should now shut down all amusement parks when kids have to pee?
I didnt know that. And yes, we should. Better safe than sorry. I dont know any parent that wouldn't appreciate the effort. Because, you know, thats what parents do...
"Safe" from what? Peeing his pants? I'm a parent--what I did was look for my child and find them.
Whatever. ...i was happy with the response of the park. They didnt know, neither did I. I was happy with their actions. As were the other parents. No one cared about being delayed a ride 10 minutes. Not a problem with a normal parent...

10 minutes? Normal is not freaking out after 10 minutes.

Mellow Momma · Sniff...sniff, sniff. Yay! A Bum!

huskerbb wrote:
Mellow Momma wrote:
The child doesn't have to be abducted, missing is enough.

And husker - all I can say about your insensitivity is, I hope your granddaughter is never missing for an hour and you have to live through what I lived through. No matter what you say now, "much ado about nothing" is NOT how you feel. And it is NOT how the police felt about it. It doesn't take more than a tablespoon of water to drown.
Enough for what? The FACT is that the stat YOU quoted was for kids that were/are abducted--not just every kid who might wander off. LOTS of kids wander off and VERY FEW are dead within an hour. The fact that is was newsworthy in this case shows how RARE such a death is.

Also, WTF are you babbling about "insensitivity". Just because I don't agree with you now I'm "insensitive". What a load of bull and such arrogance you have.

You act like you are the only one who ever had a child wander off. I raised two boys, I've had to go looking for them before.

I keep forgetting you know more than the professionals on any subject. My apologies.

No, I am not the only one who has ever had a child missing. I may be the only one here who had an Amber Alert on their child. And the facts are we didn't KNOW if she was kidnapped or not. It was a busy area, the opportunity was there. So the statistics I quoted applied because we didn't know for a fact that they didnt. Rarely do people SEE a child being kidnapped - most missing kids are thought to have wandered off. Until it's proven otherwise. So I will error on the side of caution and find my child with any means neccedsary thank you.

Your insensitivity is a product of your rural life style. You assume everyone lives in an Iowa utopia where no one is at harm and all kids are driving cars at age 4 because it's totally safe where YOU live. Somehow, after years on this board and the preceding one, you have not gotten the message that not all communities are like yours. What is safe where you live is downright dangerous where others live. Yet you continue to insist that your way is the only correct way. Even though you way would put people in serious harm where they live. If for one moment you could pepper your comments with the rememberance that not everyone lives in an Iowa cornfield, maybe people would take your posts more seriously.

I know what to do_sometimes · Frozen Sucks!

huskerbb wrote:
Mellow Momma wrote:
The child doesn't have to be abducted, missing is enough.

And husker - all I can say about your insensitivity is, I hope your granddaughter is never missing for an hour and you have to live through what I lived through. No matter what you say now, "much ado about nothing" is NOT how you feel. And it is NOT how the police felt about it. It doesn't take more than a tablespoon of water to drown.
Enough for what? The FACT is that the stat YOU quoted was for kids that were/are abducted--not just every kid who might wander off. LOTS of kids wander off and VERY FEW are dead within an hour. The fact that is was newsworthy in this case shows how RARE such a death is.

Also, WTF are you babbling about "insensitivity". Just because I don't agree with you now I'm "insensitive". What a load of bull and such arrogance you have.

You act like you are the only one who ever had a child wander off. I raised two boys, I've had to go looking for them before.

LOL Husker, and no one knows if the kid was abducted or just merely wandered off until AFTER they are found and we get the whole story. So what you are saying is we should just hold tight because they "probably" weren't abducted. confuse

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

Husker has obviously been blessed with living a very sheltered, safe and fortunate life. So much so, he doesn't realize that very bad things can and do happen. More than 250,000 children are abducted each year.

Tinydancer · Guru

I'm moving to the middle of nowhere so I can stop worrying about anything and everything my kid does. From what I've read husker lives in Idealtown while the rest of us live in Realityville.

huskerbb · Guru

Lawyerlady wrote:
Husker has obviously been blessed with living a very sheltered, safe and fortunate life. So much so, he doesn't realize that very bad things can and do happen. More than 250,000 children are abducted each year.

I have been blessed, but that's not the point. This child wasn't abducted, either. Nor were any of the ones in the examples so far given.

Also, you CHOOSE where to live and raise your family.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Yes, because nothing bad ever happened to anyone in a rural area? Uh huh. I live in a rural area. I grew up in rural Pa. We never locked our doors. It is very safe. But, to just have an "oh nothing bad can ever happen' is absurd. And, I think you better rethink that if you plan to watch grandkids.

TOTALLY GEEKED!

Five-year-old boy who died after wandering off from Grand Canyon campsite roamed the wilderness for four miles in the wrong direction before succumbing to exposure

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