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Adelaide Strikes Again
By Moriah on November 10th, 2008
I’ve debated a little about blogging about this. It might be easy for someone to pass judgment on my parenting, especially someone who doesn’t know me in real life. And while I don’t want to air my proverbial dirty laundry, I also don’t want to pretend like I lead a perfect life or have it all together all the time. This story is true, and this blog is a (mostly) candid look at my life as a mother…
Well, it’s finally happened.
“Attention Wal*Mart shoppers, would Madeline’s mommy please return to the customer service desk?” and retrieve your daughter you terrible mommy you!
Here’s how it went down. I stopped in there for a few things upon arriving back into town Saturday evening. I usually make a huge circle around the store, getting whatever I need in the pharmacy and toiletry sections first and then looping around past the baby department to the back where the cold foods and milk are.
I stopped for wipes and Drew and Madeline are always drawn like magnets to the baby toys, which were on the other side of the display. I browsed a minute, got what I needed, and wanted to keep moving so I called out to them “okay guys, let’s go!”
By then Drew was with me, but I didn’t see or hear Madeline. I knew she had to be really close though, so I called again, this time stepping out into the main aisle. A salesclerk from the electronics department looked over from down the aisle and asked “are you looking for your daughter? With the long hair?”
“Yes!”
“Oh, I just saw another sales associate get her because she was lost. Here, come with me and we’ll go find them.” He motioned for me to follow him, to the very back of the store. I knew instinctively that the other associate probably wouldn’t have taken her back there; most likely they’d have gone up front.
But I felt obligated to follow him. And maybe he’d turn out to be right. He disappeared behind the service doors and I waited. And then waited some more. (Thankfully I didn’t feel overly panicked – I already knew she was with an employee; we just had to figure out exactly where.)
A couple of minutes later, sure enough, I heard the announcement over the loudspeaker and made my way up front. The older woman handed over a very dry-eyed Madeline, (after peering at me first with noticeable disdain).
Yes, I should have kept her right with me at all times (a feat, let me just tell you). And yes, something can happen in a split second. But for crying out loud, if that associate had even let Madeline yell for me, I was right there and I would have heard her.
It bothers me that she saw a seemingly unaccompanied child, didn’t even look around the immediate section for family, didn’t ask anyone; just took her instantly up to customer service. I felt like she jumped the gun just a wee bit.
(I mean, if she had just poked her nose around the corner, everything would have been alright. We were the only ones shopping back there and would’ve been hard to miss.)
(And let’s not even talk about that other guy having me wait outside the break room wasting precious time.)
Anyway, so we got home and had some dinner, and then I gave the kids their usual Saturday night bath. Drew was about to jump in when, yep!, you guessed it, Adelaide pooped in the tub.
I wasn’t going to mention her habit again, but it was so funny when she started chanting “NO! NO! NO!” and “YUCK! YUCK! YUCK!” the entire time I was trying to clean it out. Heaven forbid anything float near her feet.
She had absolutely no idea she was the guilty party.
So here’s to a less eventful week!
29 Responses to “Adelaide Strikes Again”
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You’re a GREAT MOM!!
I don’t know you *in real life* – but I’m sure you’re a great mom. Because you love those precious kids of yours.
So don’t go letting that lady’s *noticable disdain* get you down!
It almost sounds like a set up, seeing how they didn’t try to look for you and whisked her to the front of the store.
My family has so many lost child stories, so many that yesterday over Sunday dinner several families were all telling theirs. It happens to everyone. No way around it really. So realize that all my siblings are grown and no one says my Mom was a bad parent even though there are several several stories of missing where that one kid went.
Wait, so you’re not superhuman either?!? : )
My husband and I both smelled terrible odors coming from our child last night, we thought it was stale laundry odors or something. Nope. Turns out I hadn’t bathed my daughter since WEDNESDAY. Oops, gross and yikes. What kind of mother am I??? Oh yeah, human. Darn that humanity!
What a day! It’s good to hear about other people’s embarrassing mommy moments…I’ve got a boat load.
I gave up on judgment once I had kids. Because now the things happen to me that I once said, “When I have kids I will NEVER/ALWAYS_________”
I was left at church several times. So was my brother-in-law. The famed, “I thought you had him/her.”
Don’t feel bad. your not the only one. I tried to leave the church without my son. Yep i did. I felt horrible.
And the poop in the tub. Been there done that. Now my boys have never done that but my daughter. Yep. Maybe it’s a girl thing.
That’s a terrible feeling…shame and fear all rolled into one. I’m sorry that happened, and yes, I think that associate jumped the gun just a wee bit!
As for the tub story…I can’t believe you’re still getting mileage from this. Seriously. ;)
I so appreciate your honesty and the lighthearted way you deal with your mistakes. Thanks for sharing as I tend to feel ridiculously guilty whenever I do anything “wrong” for my baby. I got soap in her eyes during her bath the other day. no big deal except that it’s special zinc shampoo for babies with dandruff who also have sensitive skin. Burned like the dickens. She screamed then whimpered pitifully with her hurting eye closed for about ten minutes. I was afraid she would go blind. I totally started crying, too.
Oh my goodness, I am glad she was ok. Sounds like they did jump the gun a bit.
I haven’t had either of these scenarios happen to me …yet! With kids anything is possible though.
Hope you guys had a great trip. We ended up not going to Homestead Hollow because I would have had to sell my arm and leg to pay to get in, you know how that goes. Next time you are here though, we’ll get together.
oh c’com, hasn’t every parent lost a child a time or two in their life? I have yet to “really” lose mine, but my mom lost me or I lost her ALL THE TIME when I was little, and yes, I think at least one was retrieved from the front of the store…it was petrifying at the time (tho Made seems fine!) but I look back on it as good memories, and actually as a “supposed to happen” occurrence that helps the growing up/independence process
No worries! Kids are very easy to lose – even at home! When I was about 5, my mom thought someone had kidnapped me out of the backyard. She frantically called the police and searched for me for hours. They finally found me – shivering in the attic! When she pulled the Christmas tree down and folded up the ladder, she had no idea that I had quietly followed her up there!
That’s funny! Don’t feel bad. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened to me yet. My daughter is the same way! She totally gives me a run for my money. It’s good to have these stories, and will be totally fun to tease her about when she gets older!
Man, you’ve got a load of comments! See, we all love you :)
Anybody who’s had a handful of little kids knows what it’s like to lose one.
My parents left my brother sleeping in a church pew once, and drove back home.
Once my 2 year old left the yard and walked down the railroad tracks to find his daddy in the hardware store (a bright boy, he knew the way). The sheriff brought him back home.
I know there may be deep spiritual implications of the title of your blog, but I often think it just means that your readers should take what you tell here with a grain of salt :)
Do you mean that Adelaide doesn’t realize that that poop came out of her????
You know, the minute someone starts thinking or saying something judgemental about another mom, chances are it will happen to them. So absolutely no disdain or looking down my nose at you over here! And it has no bearing upon whether or not you are a good mommy, because we all – even those that don’t “know” you – know that you are. :)
It’s funny how kids never miss you saying ‘let’s get some candy’ but they conveniently don’t hear you when you say ‘stay right beside me.’
And here’s to helping moms around the cyberspace world feel normal! – Thanks!! :)
You poor thing…
I know you are a great mom. I’m not looking forward to when that happens to me. Hang in there!
Though I have yet to be in your situation, I know we have all had our share of bad mommy moments. Who are we trying to fool here?
See, now, I don’t think you even technically lost her. Sounds like an overzealous employee stepped in and “made” a situation that hadn’t even existed. If you’re going to tell a “bad mommy” story, at least tell one that’s bad enough that it makes the rest of us bad mommies feel better about ourselves :-)
-Becky H
well, it’s dejavu reading that but somehow I can’t remember why…
LOL….yep! Been there, done that and the other too! Such is the Mommy life.
oh my!
although I’m surprised i haven’t experienced the wal-mart event yet, i have experienced the poo in the tub more times than i can count.
geez…they don’t even go that often…and they don’t get bathed that often either…whey do these two events keep coinciding?!?
Luckily Maddie doesn’t usually wander off… but this one time we were at Toys R Us and you know that stupid learning bike thing??? Well of course Maddie had to try it out. We didn’t have a lot of time so I told her to go ahead try it out and I’d be looking for the gift that we came for around the next row over. Two minutes later I heard my name called over the loud speaker to come pick her up at the front desk. Jeeez I knew where she was she knew where I was. I guess the girl saw her alone on the bike without a parent hovering next to her and thought “lost kid” how embarrassing!!! I guess you can’t be to hard on them, though, they’re just doing their job.
-Nichole
Hmmm, I am just waiting for the day. I am constantly trying to run after Bubbalu in stores…which is why I have a strict ‘child in shopping cart’ at all times rule.
We’ll see what happens when he gets too big for it! I’m totally in for it!
I’m sure that was both traumatic and frustrating for you, and I can totally see that happening with me, as Wal-Mart has increasingly become an event that tries my patience with my nearly 3-year-old “walking” with me. You are not a bad mommy! Thanks for being brave to post about all of the ups and downs of being a mom.
Lord you made me laugh!!!!
Thanks to you I’m actually looking forward to the none-to-pleasant sides of motherhood. My lil one’s only 8 months.
Lots to look forward to it seems :)
I lost my son in Walmart once. He loves to play “hide and watch mommy panic.” He didn’t turn up for about 15 minutes. As I was begging the woman at the customer service desk to block all exits, lock all the doors. She actually asked me “Why wasn’t your son with you?”. This was not a good time for her to ask. It took all I had for me not to grab the store mic out of her hand and scream for my son myself. I was visibly crying and distraught. Some people are unbelieveable. Anyway, we found him and it all ended well. But everytime I go back to that same Walmart I give her the ‘look’ whenever I walked by.
Great story. My husband lost one of ours at Bass Pro Shop. So I feel your pain! By the way, I LOVE the name Adelaide!