I was on my way out to lunch today and right outside the door to our office there was a terrible ruckus. There is an outer lobby right outside our door that comes right off of the parking garage. In the lobby there are two chairs, a building listing and two elevators. We are the only tenant on the second floor. Anyway I walked out of our door and there were two little boys probably 4 and 2 years old screaming at the top of their lungs. They were both hysterically crying and I could tell that they were very afraid. I didn't want to scare them more so I calmly walked over to them and got down on their level and asked them where their mommy was. The oldest boy told me that they had gotten on the elevator and pressed the #2 button. Then they both started crying again. I told them that their mommy was probably looking for them right at that moment and that they needed to be calm and we would watch for their mommy together. I didn't want to try and ride the elevator to find their mommy just in case she came to our floor and then we would miss her.
After about three minutes the elevator door opened and some people got out and said that they had seen the little boys' mother and that she was looking on every floor and should be to our floor very soon. I told the little boys that their mom was coming and to stay calm, everything would be okay. We watched the elevator doors and listened for the bell. The door opened again and once again their mom wasn't there. Finally one of the women that I work with told me that she would ride the elevator to try and find the mother. I told the boys that someone was looking for their mom and then we started playing "I spy". They were both very good at the game and gratefully so was I because I had played it a number of time with my grandkids.
A few minutes later the harried mom arrived at our floor loaded down with a new baby and all of the baby paraphenalia. She set the baby down and hugged her boys. They were very glad to see their mom. She thanked us profusely and carefully loaded her group onto the elevator. They waved good-by and she once again thanked us. I was grateful to have been there to help, and I couldn't help but think of my own daughters and grandchildren.
I also remembered a really scary experience with my own girls when they were little; getting on an elevator at Little America and pushing the button and disappearing from sight. It was very scary!
It is sad that there are so many things that we have to worry about with these little ones - it is so frightening to have them out of our sight for even a second! I'm sure those little boys were scolded once they got to the car - that fear of losing our little ones can sometimes turn to anger once the situation is under control. I don't think those little boys will ever step into an elevator alone again.
What a blessing that there were other mothers willing to step in and give them comfort and help them find their mommy.
I can only hope that in the same situation my grandchildren would be given the same kind of patience and caring.
2 comments:
Elevators and losing kids! I didn't realize it was so common :). Owen goes in the elevator at our office by himself and rides up and down (we only have 2 floors so I let him, and he knows how to come back up the stairs). The other day I heard him go away and I heard the elevator go down. I was talking to another attorney on the phone and listening for the elevator noise to come back up. I didn't hear anything and assumed he came up the stairs to go in the other office and see Ben. 5 minutes later I went in to find him and Ben said he hadn't seen him. I started running and screaming his name. I ran down to the bottom floor and pushed the elevator button. He was just sitting in the elevator waiting to come back up. I think he was pushing floor 1on floor 1. I love posts like this to be reminded I am not alone in my troubles :)
I still remember so vividly that day at Little America. I don't think Patti has ever gotten over it. She felt so responcible for all of us.
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