- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- moms today articles
- moms today q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Lessons from a Locked Car
By Alene S. Sen
Mitchell was locked in the car for 50 minutes before the tow truck finally arrived, which to a worried mother seemed like an eternity. When the tow truck driver popped my door open, I grabbed my son and held him tight. Once he was snuggled up against my neck, his screaming ceased and a calmness came over him. In a short prayer, I thanked God for letting my son come out of this incident without harm, because I know it could have been worse. The weather could have been hot and humid, or this incident could have happened on a dark street at night.
For several days, I blamed myself for not knowing better. I felt guilty of being an irresponsible mother for putting my son through almost an hour of unnecessary fear, insecurity and confusion, which if I had been more attentive would not have happened. But, as time passed, I accepted what had happened, and my mistake, and convinced myself that no parent is perfect. Parenthood is all about learning through doing, and sometimes that means making mistakes and learning from them. For me, this is one in a long line of trials and errors I know I will be facing on my journey through parenthood.
Fortunately, this incident has not affected Mitchell in a negative way. He is still crazy about cars and enthusiastic about driving. I still put him in the driver's seat, but I make extra sure I have the keys handy and the driver's window is down low enough to allow my hand in and not far enough for Mitchell to climb out.
Having acquired several gray hairs from this incident seemed a small price to pay for a valuable lesson learned, because when a curious toddler is involved, what seems impossible can be possible.