Lost Child
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
Close your eyes and imagine this:
One day you are on Ind. 15 taking your children into Warsaw to drop off at their friend's house. It is a cold, windy, crisp day and you see a little boy on the side of the road with his bike, jumping up and down waving at traffic. You think to yourself another little kid waving, they all do it, you have seen it before. Then you pass this little boy. Looking back in your rearview mirror you notice something different. His little shoulders, arms and his head drop, as to say, "Why won't anyone help me?" You pull over to the side of the road.
As you walk up to him, he asks you with tears welling up in his eyes if you are going to Warsaw. When you reply yes, he asks you if you will take him there or at least to Marsh, then he can get to his aunt's house. You ask him what is wrong, and he tells you that when he got home from school nobody was there, so he got on his bike and proceeded to ride 13 miles or so into Warsaw on a state road, without even knowing for sure which way Warsaw was.
I do not know the circumstances as to why this happened or why this little boy decided to ride on his own up there. All I know is this little 12-year-old boy was so frightened when I stopped to talk to him that he would have gotten into any vehicle with anyone. All they had to say was, "Yes, I will take you to Warsaw."
I know everyone cannot afford a phone or cell phone, or even a babysitter. But we can all afford to find a neighbor or two or even a friend of the child who can help when a child is left alone and they get frightened. We can also all afford to leave a note for our children telling them where we are and when we will be back. Along with that note, make sure there is a snack so they don't try to make one for themselves. None of us are perfect and these are just a few of many suggestions that we as parents can do to make our children feel a little less frightened and more secure when we cannot be there.
Thank you to the nice couple who looked after this little boy until an officer could arrive to take him to his aunt's house. Your kindness and willingness to help this little boy probably secured him to get back to his family safely.
In closing, I hope everyone takes a step back and looks at what we as parents are doing and what we can be doing better, to ensure our children are just a little more safe and feel a little more secure.
Angela Fulton
Silver Lake, via e-mail[[In-content Ad]]
Close your eyes and imagine this:
One day you are on Ind. 15 taking your children into Warsaw to drop off at their friend's house. It is a cold, windy, crisp day and you see a little boy on the side of the road with his bike, jumping up and down waving at traffic. You think to yourself another little kid waving, they all do it, you have seen it before. Then you pass this little boy. Looking back in your rearview mirror you notice something different. His little shoulders, arms and his head drop, as to say, "Why won't anyone help me?" You pull over to the side of the road.
As you walk up to him, he asks you with tears welling up in his eyes if you are going to Warsaw. When you reply yes, he asks you if you will take him there or at least to Marsh, then he can get to his aunt's house. You ask him what is wrong, and he tells you that when he got home from school nobody was there, so he got on his bike and proceeded to ride 13 miles or so into Warsaw on a state road, without even knowing for sure which way Warsaw was.
I do not know the circumstances as to why this happened or why this little boy decided to ride on his own up there. All I know is this little 12-year-old boy was so frightened when I stopped to talk to him that he would have gotten into any vehicle with anyone. All they had to say was, "Yes, I will take you to Warsaw."
I know everyone cannot afford a phone or cell phone, or even a babysitter. But we can all afford to find a neighbor or two or even a friend of the child who can help when a child is left alone and they get frightened. We can also all afford to leave a note for our children telling them where we are and when we will be back. Along with that note, make sure there is a snack so they don't try to make one for themselves. None of us are perfect and these are just a few of many suggestions that we as parents can do to make our children feel a little less frightened and more secure when we cannot be there.
Thank you to the nice couple who looked after this little boy until an officer could arrive to take him to his aunt's house. Your kindness and willingness to help this little boy probably secured him to get back to his family safely.
In closing, I hope everyone takes a step back and looks at what we as parents are doing and what we can be doing better, to ensure our children are just a little more safe and feel a little more secure.
Angela Fulton
Silver Lake, via e-mail[[In-content Ad]]
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