Lost and Found

If this kid makes it to adulthood, it may just be a miracle.

Earlier this year, he decided he wanted to go play basketball at our neighbors house. At 8:00am. On a Saturday morning. Diamond was out playing ball and I was still asleep as the Caboose headed out the front door. When our neighbors answered the bell, the Caboose said "I'm here to shoot three-pointers." They welcomed him in, served him waffles, and let him play. I had no idea he was even gone. That night we installed an alarm on the front door - so I could hear if he tried to leave.

The problem is that he thinks he is 10 years old, if not 12. If he sees his brothers doing anything, he feels fully capable of doing the same thing.

Take for instance two weeks ago. We meet several other families in our neighborhood for "Family Home Evening" at the park located five minutes from our house. After being at the park for a bit, the big boys wanted to run home to grab a baseball. They asked, I said "sure" and off they went. No problem. But then the Caboose decided he wanted to grab his mitt from the house. Did he ask? Of course not. Did he tell anyone where he was headed? Why would he? There were a ton of kids playing on the playground and I simply didn't notice him slip away.

After a group search and rescue mission, we finally found him. He could NOT understand what he did wrong. His big brothers had walked home to get something, so why couldn't he? HELLO!!! You're FOUR!!!

Then we went camping last weekend. Again, the big boys asked if they could go play with some friends at an adjoining campsite. No problem. But again, the Caboose figured that if the big kids could take off, so could he. He wandered away, without so much as a glance in my direction. With nothing more than the small circle of light provided by the campfire, I was tracking the flickering lights on his sandals as he played near our site. It was only a very brief time before I realized I hadn't seen those little red lights. He had simply vanished. Can I tell you how scary it is to lose a young child, while camping, in the dark?

We found him quickly enough, but I'm beginning to wonder if we will continue to be so fortunate as to find him every time he gets lost. My other kids didn't wander off like this, and I don't really know how to manage it. He's been punished, but it hasn't seem to impress upon him the seriousness of what is happening.

I just love this kid so very, very much.