So, I dare say every parent's worst nightmare is having a lost child. My kids have given me a few scares over the years (most notably was when we couldn't find Kyla for an hour or so, only to find her asleep under Damon's blankets), but last night McKay gave me one of the worst.
We were busy with two soccer games (typical) and Jeff was with Damon on his field across the soccer complex while I had the other three at Kyla's game. The soccer complex is huge, with over 20 fields, a pavilion, a playground and a parking lot. Allie, Carter and McKay were playing with other kids around the field, and I had no problem seeing them. Just as Kyla's game was ending, I looked over and saw Carter. He was fine. I saw Allie. She was fine. I didn't see McKay.
Instantly, I felt that he was gone. I got up and walked over to where Carter was and asked if he knew what had happened to McKay. He didn't. Allie told me she had sent him over to me "a while ago" and she didn't know where he ended up. So I started searching. I checked the street and parking lot first, but luckily he wasn't lying there. After that, I didn't know where to look. There were kids EVERYWHERE, and none of them looked like McKay. A few of the families sitting nearby started helping me look, and Jeff walked over just as Kyla's game was finishing, so he started looking as well.
As the games ended, people started streaming out of the fields into the parking lot, and I really worried that McKay wasn't there. A nice grandma said she would start praying and scrambled around looking. I said a few prayers myself, and tried to take nice, deep breaths, because my freaking out wasn't going to help anything. I ran over to the playground and pavilion to see if someone had found him there, but no luck. I was starting to really worry (it's so hard to keep your mind from going to that "someone must have taken him" place, and I was fighting that urge).
One of the moms that was helping me look started up the path, and within a few seconds she was calling me over. He had been found! He was wandering around, obviously looking for me. And he had made it a long way! From where I had been sitting, he had probably walked over 100 yards past many fields, without knowing where he was going or what he was doing. It looked like he had been crying (well, he looked worried), but the relief was immediate. My prayers were fervent and thankful that he was okay (even if he was stinky again). The whole ordeal probably lasted 15 minutes, from when I noticed he was gone to when we found him, and those were some long minutes. My heart goes out to those families who have missing children and have no choice but to go home and wait until morning before doing anything else. What a nightmare (literally, that would be my worst dream ever).
Even thinking about it now, my hands are shaking and my heart is racing. I'm so incredibly thankful that we were able to find him, and the dozens of people who immediately joined in looking for him were angels. I have to admit, today I have been a little nicer and a little more patient with all my kids, but with McKay in particular. If something like that never happens again, it will be too soon. Hug your kids tight tonight. There are some parents who would love to do just that, but weren't as lucky as we were last night.
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