I lost my DD!!!!! (*long)!!!! [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

issa

05-10-2001, 11:41 AM

With all the planing and preparing for our frist family trip to disney, we are finally back!!!

Loki and I will post about our experiances, the food, and the resort in the upcoming days.

But I did want to post this for those planning a trip with thier children.

Frist off ..it was an incredible, magical trip. before we left I took a recent family photo of loki, DD ( 5) and I and on the back of that wrote

My name is......
my mommy's name is.....
my daddy's name is

we are staying at ASMo may 3rd-9th
pager # is......

and this was kept in a ziplock bag in her fanny pack. she did not leave the hotel room unless that pack was on her and it did not come off till we were back in the room that night.
i did this because I wanted the cm's to know WHO they were looking to return her to.

also
apon entering the parks I introduced her to cm's ..pointed out thier name badges and told her to always look for one..they would be by rides and stores and food carts..and if she couldnt see us they would help her find us.

I NEVER THOUGHT IT ALL THIS WOULD ACTUALLY BE NEEDED!!!!!

Both loki and I are ever watching our child. we are always watching her and communicating on which of us is with her.

it was about an 1 1/2 before sat's mk fireworks. we stopped at the bridge leading into fantasy land to take a quick picture...she was in the stroller happily eating her ice. Literlly it was about as long as ..honey, the castle looks beutiful from here, please take a picture...picture is taken..we stroll on, walk to the hub entrance of future world to walk a stake out a small spot we found earlier (literally maybe, MAYBE a span of 3 mins has past) loki turns to talk to DD and says..where's _______! i say..in the stroller..pull back the hood and she was GONE!!!!!

I remember saying wheres my daughter...and I ran to the bridge...(enter 15 sec time lapse..it was literlly that close) DD is no where in sight.... I think at that moment when i scanned the area I realized how many people were there....i can tell you my heart did stop, This was the frist time ever of losing sight of my child.

Loki started to look and I remember shouting 'wheres a cm??) I ran to a cart selling somthing and by chance saw a cm walking on the sidewalk. I blurted out, "I cant find my daughter, help me (insert hysterical mother tears here)

The cm was wonderful... he remained calm as the people were filling into the hub for the firworks. Loki shouted he would continue to look. The cm guided me to city hall as I recited everything I had remembered about DD, her hair style, how many clips in her hair, her dress, the butterflies on the front, her sandles, EVERYTHING! and anything that would stand out...most important i told him about the fanny pack and the info inside. he took all this information down at city hall. as he was typing I looked out the doors..and I saw the front gates...i swear I have never had such a feeling of dread..what if someone got her out the gates???

the cm then talked over the walkie talkie, descibed her briefly before the other cm remarked she had already been found. !!! (about 10 mins have pasted since stopping to take the photo..maybe 15)

they then told me to go to the baby care center, I would meet her there. Now I am a hefty girl...i dont run.....let me tell you I dont think my feet touched the ground running up main street through that crowd. when i got there the center had already got the call and that DD was being escorted by guards to the center..it would be about 15 mins..god it took forever! DD was chatting away until i saw her and bolted to pick her up..we were both then crying..I have never known such relife!..I hugs the guards and thank them so much...I was sooo thankful of disney for having such a system inplace.

what the guards did share with me was that DD had walked over the bridge and made it to the teacups (if I had walked further when we had frist lost her I would have probly found her.... but I had soooo conditioned my self not to panick and to find a cm)
She then walked up to a cm, told them her name and that she could not find me or daddy, and then told them to look in her pouch to find me. the cm was amazed at the information on her, how calm she was, and how she intentionally looked for a cm.

all I can say is that I am soooo glad I took those extra moments to pack that picture, that extra 5 mins out to show her a cm badge.
she did it, excatly how she was suppose to.

we headed back to the bridge and met up with a very panicked daddy eventually who told a cm he had lost his fiancee while looking for his lost child..they pointed him in the right direction.

we sat down and hugged, cried and waited for tinkerbell to fly and then had a very magical moment watching the fireworks.

The reason for the rather long story is to give a glimpse of what actually happens when a child is lost. Inever ever thought it would happen to us...but being nuerotic , I planned anyways. I saw soooooo may parents not watching children..children running hither and yon. kids playing with no adults in sight.......they were not lost, My child , who is watched always, was lost. It can happen to anyone
plan plan plan....hopefully you will never have to go through this experiance,,, buts its good to know disney is prepared and will help.

by the way.... DD wanted to see if ariel was in the moat , so had gotten out of the stroller while we thought we we "alll " watching the castle.
it only takes a second!

apm

05-10-2001, 12:12 PM

Quite a story! I'm glad everything turned out OK. Wonderful idea with the family picture and info -- I'll use it for my 4 yr old DD. Thanks!

Andy
CSR, July 2001 (57 days!)

PRINCESS VIJA

05-10-2001, 12:26 PM

Wow, I was crying right along with you! I can't imagine the fear of losing you child. We leave in 4 days, and I have put off dealing with identification. Thank you for your post, it will now be a priority in getting done before we leave!

Pooh667

05-10-2001, 02:16 PM

Hi,

Oh my goodness, just reading your story made my heart pound. I am glad that everything worked out.

Susan :D

MikeBW

05-10-2001, 02:24 PM

I always wondered about losing a child in WDW. I'm sure it happens quite often. I am glad that everything worked out fine for you - boy it must have been a long 15 minutes without your DD. Disney comes thru again!

Betsyfun

05-10-2001, 09:10 PM

Issa...what a heart wrenching story...Tears...goosebumps.. i have experienced them all while reading your tale. We always do similar things to identify our children...you just never think it will happen. I am so very thankful that the story ended happily ever after.....afterall this is Disney..:)

sha_lyn

05-10-2001, 09:18 PM

I know how you feel. My son and a friend of his form preschool got lost when he was 5 at Zoo Atlanta. It was during a carity kids race and the rout was suppose to be well staked out to guide the kids. Well some how they and a few others were routed to where breakfast was being served instead of the finsh line (which was also the starting line). All for of us went nuts (both sets of parents). My ds had done as he had always been told (we also always pointed out employees at parks we were at). My DS had told someone they werre lost and he needed to go to the big stage. They told him to just wait, that everyone would come to breakfast after the last race. He insisted to go back to the stage. There they were, him holding her hand, not worried at all.

tiggersmomof4

05-10-2001, 09:32 PM

So glad your daughter is safe and sound! I will definitely be taking your advice when we visit in Oct. with our 4 DDs!!

Mamatipo

05-10-2001, 10:10 PM

Thank goodness everything went smoothly!! I know you must have been freaked out! Thank you for your good suggestions. I have a 2 year old "runner" and I will definitely heed your suggestions. He will be too young to understand "go look for a CM," but I will be extra, extra vigilant!

:D

crzy4dsny

05-11-2001, 08:14 PM

On a recent trip to disney I saw a child with his name,mothers name, and cell phone number written on a card and pinned to the back of his shirt.I don't think that is a good idea. Any one could walk up to him and say, hey "Joey"your mom "Sue" told me to take you with me.All of that info should not be exposed to everyone,I don't let my kids wear anything with their name on it.The idea of putting the info in a fanny pack is much better. Pointing out cm's to your children and telling them to find one of them if they get lost is something I am going to do on my next trip.

KangaT

05-12-2001, 09:32 PM

Lord, I got chills reading your story. Thank heavens everything worked out alright.

And here I thought I was just being "such a MOM!" again (as DH puts it). I've made an info card for each of our DS's (10, 7 and 4) to carry in their hip packs. And in case the kids really freak, I've included "PopPop's" cell phone number (he'll be here at home) so they can always talk to a familiar voice.

In addition, DH and I will each have a card with physical description of each child, identifying marks, etc. on us - mine has recent pictures of each DS. BTW, one of my boys has no identifying marks at all. We're taking a permanent marker and making a mark on his body (area covered by clothes) each morning.

Thanks for helping remind us all that even the most diligent parents can't watch them every moment!

KangaT

Feralpeg

05-13-2001, 09:10 PM

I know something of how you felt. A few years ago, my 7 year old daughter and I were waiting for the monorail to open at TTC. While we were waiting in line, I turned around to read a sign. When I turned back, I couldn't see my daughter. Several bus loads of people had entered the area and she had apparently gotten caught up in the crowd. I started yelling for her, but got no response. Although several people asked me what she looked like, we couldn't find her. I ran to the nearest CM. Of course, I was practically hysterical. He was very calm and told me that we would fine her. About that time, the gates opened to the monorail and the crowd move on through. I was desperately looking over the crowd when I felt a little tug on my arm. There she was! She had big tears in her eyes. I grabbed her in such a tight hug, I'm don't know how I kept from crushing her. By this time, I was also crying. She told me that when the crowd began to move, she hugged a trash can! The CM just stood there and smiled. He told us that DW was no place for tears and he gave my daughter a magnet that he said was only for children who had been lost at WDW.

Although everything turned out fine, I found myself close to tears the rest of the day! That evening, we called home to talk to my sister. Of course, the first thing my daughter told her aunt was that "Mommy lost me today"!

Maleficent2

05-14-2001, 08:42 PM

I am so happy for you...but my BP must have risen 10 points reading your story and the tears have not stopped yet so I can only imagine how you felt......

My DM lost my nephew at AllStar Movies this year she was supposed to be watching him while DSis did some washing.He wanted to go outside and I am unsure about how he got lost but got lost he did.He is 5 and he somehow made his way to the main building and told a CM he was lost.When DS got back to the room DM told here he was missing and DS went hysterial call a CM and CM got on walkie talkie and Wal la they had him.

So yes their lost child system does work.

But thank God that these were real lost children and not something else......the thought send chilss up and down my spine.

Mal

rbuzzotta

05-16-2001, 08:59 AM

I have such a lump in my throat. We go to WDW often and I will make sure we place an index card with identifying information in the pockets of my 3 DD's.

When my 5 year old was nearly 3 andI was 7 months pregnant, she wondered away from the playground at PO. When my DH and I realized she was missing I nearly gave birth. She headed out the gate and was walking down the walkway!!! It totally ruined my evening as I cried and couldn't sleep thinking what could have been

Since then I always hold onto my kids hands (my oldest, 9, stays very close), but have never thought about supplying them with identification. Thanks for the information and so happy to hear that you definetly had a magical ending.

Pixie dust was sprinkled on all of you that evening!!

mom2boys

05-16-2001, 01:48 PM

Too scary. I too had a lump in my throat & watery eyes reading your post. My son (then 4) wondered off during the cookout at Disney's Hilton Head Resort. The child actually walked past the pool and through the gate. Then he hid in the tall grass because "no bad guys would find him, only Mommy". All I could think of was the swamp & the pool. I was actually on my way to scan the bottom of the pool when he came around the corner with a CM.
I print "business cards" on my computer before we go to DisneyWorld. I put my children's identifying info, allergies, resort & my cell phone # on it. My kids love these because I print their favorite scene on it - space, Mickey, whatever they're into at the time. At WDW, I insist that each child carry a resort ID. These are coded with the adult's name, resort, room # (& who knows what else). If there is any question that I am my kid's mom, all they have to do is compare the magnetic strips on the resort ids.

Patio

05-17-2001, 01:19 PM

What a nightmare, but thank goodness everything worked out for you. I bought a leash and had my ds and I connected. It may look silly but you can never be too careful.

rogers803

05-18-2001, 10:07 AM

Wow! Thank goodness she is okay. My heart pounded while reading your story. Thanks for the good advice and sharing your story.

OhioDaddy

05-19-2001, 03:39 PM

I have only one word - GULP! This was an eyeopener, thank you for sharing your story.:eek:

Pooh93

05-20-2001, 08:14 PM

OMG! This is a real eye opener and I scanned quickly to see the outcome before I went back and read all the details. What a smart thing to do and I'll do the same next time we take our children somewhere that is crowded.

Pembo

05-21-2001, 11:09 AM

Wow! I never thought to make up an id card for my 5 yo son! We just went in April and also had a scary experience. My dh went to guest services at the hotel, my ds was in jammies watching TV on the bed, I went in the bathroom. I heard the room door open and close. I called out to my dh, no answer, to my ds, no answer.

To make a long story short, my ds decided to go find Daddy! I was frantically screaming for him out my door. A man down the way from us, had seen my ds(in jammies and bare feet), and helped me look for him. I was a wreck!!! We stated at PO Riverside and the building zig and zag so it was hard to see him. I kept yelling and he finally did answer and then the man brought him to me!

It was horrible. Thinking of all the scenarios!!! We had a LONG talk about stranger danger, being lost, etc. I threatened him with a leash if he disappeared again. The humor in the story is when we saw a little one a leash the next day my ds had a look of knowing horror on his face. LOL!!!

You never know what kids will do! Be prepared!

mkubecka

05-21-2001, 01:20 PM

I have always made our children ID cards when we go. I make sure to put the resort we stay at on it and I make a set for myself that I carry.

For those of you who are making these here is a tip. If you just put them on paper cards by the end of the week the information will be unrecognizable, so what I do is find the luggage tags that you can make yourself and put the card in them. The one I found have a self-adhesive back. (I got them at Wal-Mart in the school supplies area) This way they don't get bent, can withstand water if neccesary, and can be read from both sides.

I have to say I have been lucky and never lost my children, but I do know how fast it can happen.

I do have a story along these lines. NO mattter how many time you drill into their heads to stay with you sometimes they just don't. Luckily I was the one watching carefully. My oldest (8 at the time) youngest, and I were looking at stuff in the POC gift shop. I had my youngest by the hand, but not the other (as a side not I must say that my oldest still holds my hand on many occassions and I really enjoy that alot). I noticed that he wasn't paying attention to where he I was going because he was so busy looking at all the goodies so I thought this would be a good time to teach a lesson. I held back and watched him and in about 30 seconds he realized that mom wasn't around and neither was dad. Boy did those crocidile tears start to flow immediately. I then came walking from around a display and we had a long talk about paying attention to whats going on.

Michelle

tasbm1

05-21-2001, 03:18 PM

Thanks to you, my DS will have a card in his fanny pack with info typed on it and I will make sure he gets an intro to the CM's when we get to DisneyWorld. Your story gave me chills and I am sooooo glad it ends happily! Your advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks again for sharing your experience.

B3LM

05-21-2001, 04:53 PM

Thank you so much for the valuable information! We're going in November with our 3 kids - ages 8, 5, and 2.
Index cards in fanny packs are a great idea!

She told me that when the crowd began to move, she hugged a trash can! That's probably the cutest thing I've ever heard (and certainly clever)!

I would have been absolutely frantic and in tears, too.

mom2boys

05-21-2001, 07:59 PM

Your story reminds me of a child my family encountered in the corridors of the Beach Club in Jan 2000. Our family had returned from EPCOT & entered the Beach Club through the entrance near the Quiet Pool on the EPCOT end of the building. Since our room was down a corridor by the gift shop we had a bit of a trek through the maze of halls. It took DH & I a couple of trips through these halls to determine the shortest route & we found that one could easily go around in circles. At the end of one corridor we encountered a gentleman who asked if we had seen a little girl alone in the halls. We had not & I asked if it was his child. It was not but he said he was alone & had run off when he tried to help her. When we got to our hallway (a good 5 minute walk through the building.) We met an extremely frightened little girl of about 5 running out of our hallway. (There was not other exit other than the stairwells.) I cannot describe how frantic this little girl was. I asked if she was lost. No reply. Asked where her parents where or if she knew her room #. She literally cowered in a corner. I asked her to walk with me around the corner to the front desk. She just curled into a ball. I left my husband & two young boys (3.5 & 5) to stand with her in the hall. She had backed herself into a corner and would not look at us. A female staff member in uniform with a name bagde was finally able to cox the girl out of the corner and to the desk. The man we had encountered in the hall had informed the desk that the child was lost in the corridors but her family had not reported her missing - at least not to the front desk. The man we encountered was clearly trying to help this frieghtened child but she was so afraid that she had run from him. The explaination my husband & I could fathom was that the child left the room while an adult was sleeping. I have to say that the front desk did not look for the child when first reported by the man who had lost sight of her & I had to specifically ask that someone from the desk assist her. Apparently the hotel staff is not as well trained to deal with lost children as the park staff is.

dizneenut

05-23-2001, 03:08 PM

WOW! How scary that must have been for you!! My heart broke just reading it!! So glad she was found and everything was OK.
Great idea about the ID's in the packs and pointing out CM's. I will definitely be doing this when we go next July.

rogers803

05-23-2001, 03:29 PM

I agree that the ID tags in the fanny packs are a good idea. Also hadn't thought of taking along pictures of the children to show to CM's if they are lost.

Good thread!

ZachnElli

05-24-2001, 10:24 PM

Wow! What a story! Great thread indeed! I hadn't even thought about ID's for my kids! I will be heading out to get luggage tags for my kids tomorrow! Thanks for the ideas!

TexasRosey

05-24-2001, 11:08 PM

I'm so glad your daughter is ok. Thanks for posting your story. I just printed up "labels" for each of my children and laminated them so they can carry them in their pockets or we might just stick them in their shoes since they are waterproof.

Rosey

BevS97

05-25-2001, 04:31 AM

I am so glad you found your daughter - a few times my heart stopped and I shouted at my dh, Where's Katie, only to find out she was behind me! - you just can't help being distracted occassionally.

We used a leash some of the time - Katie doesn't like it, but we used it in very crowded situations. we bought one that attached to a fanny pack, and she didn't seem to object to this as much as her traditional reins.

I also printed up some stickers with her info on them, and we practiced showing it to cm's - but one problem we had was that the stickers came unstuck from her clothes very easily (I was sticking them on the inside bottom seam - so they couldn't be seen.)

In the end, we bought a guest of honor badge with her name on it, and I stuck the sticker onto the back of that, this seemed to work quite well.

Bev

DisneyBound4Ever

05-26-2001, 07:11 PM

We too know that feeling!! We went to Disney last October and Samantha was 4 yrs old. I feel like such a bad parent reading all you did to prepare your child in case she was lost! We did nothing like that... We were going to grab a bite to eat, and grab a seat for the last fireworks of the night. Mike (hubby) and Samantha were going up to get us our drinks in Tomorrow Land, right in front of BuzzLightyear ride. ANyways, Mike was looking at me and he told Sam to go with mommy, the trouble was, Mommy didn't know he was telling her that. About 2 mns later Mike was back at the table asking me where Sam was, With you I said!!! The look in his eyes told me all I needed to know! I freaked! I started YELLING her name, he went one way I went another and my 13 yr old went another... everyone was looking at us like we were kind of crazy.. I was screaming her name!! MIke came back without her, then I really freaked!! Then he took off again, this all took place in probably less than 5 mns of her going to find mommy... ( :( ) Then Mike came back with Samantha in hand... a cast member had already found her and was walking back towards us with her... I have never felt such dread in my life... it was dark and so crowded.... and lots of people were leaving because it was the last of the night. I know that that was one of the happiest moments when I saw her coming back with Mike. I told her to NEVER listen to daddy again if he told her to come and find me...LOL..unless I was standing there with him when he said it!!!

issa

05-28-2001, 10:08 AM

I havent been here in a little bit as I am 30 days away from loki's and my wedding....lots of planning!!

I am sooooo glad that my experiance my help so of you, and to those that shared your stories...thank you, I dont feel like such a horrible parent, it can happen to anyone.

I only got the thought of putting an I.D on her from these boards (I am sooo thankful). So I feel its ironic that the info I got from these boards helpped me sooo much and now I can pass that same info ( a little bit updated) on and hopefully help someone else get thier child back. These boards are invaluble

I am glad my story has a happy ending.....what I didnt realize is that it doesnt end with parent and child being re-united. DD often (2-4 times a week) mentions
" remember when I was lost and I was scared?"

It has really awakened her sense of the world and of being "lost". We talk ad tell each other how we felt and how much I love her. It just had a huge impact on her
and has made me ever more watchful

nurse metal

06-04-2001, 09:12 PM

Thank Goodness your child was found safe and sound. I had tears in my eyes reading your post. We just went through an expirence with our ds 4yrs. Although we were at home and not at disney I shared the same terror that you felt. I had gone to the gro. store and dh and our 7 yr old dd were with him at home. When I pulled up they meet me crying and saying he was lost, last seen in the front yard It had been 20 mins and they had looked everywhere! We live far out in a rual area and I called 911 and freinds and neighbors to help us look. We had searched our 30 acres and the neighbors ponds and still could'nt find him. Then we sent pics of him up to the local store in case someone came in with him. I will never forget that feeling that someone might have taken him. We found him after 45 mins or so .. sound asleep UNDER his bed- he crawled under to find a toy truck- we had yelled and looked in our house but he had taken some cold med and was really sleeping hard and didn't hear us. I will always remember this and its made me extra carefull from now on. thanks for letting me share.

kewlteacher

06-05-2001, 02:04 PM

It must be a mom thing...cause here I am..crying still! What a terrible thing to happen, but I am so glad you posted b/c it gives us all a wake up call that something could happen to anyone. I have a 4yr old DD and this year, I am more worried than ever since she is more out of the stroller than in. I will definitely take your advice and print up a card. We watch her contantly, but one never knows!!

Thanks again!!

phins_jazy

06-05-2001, 04:44 PM

Kewlteacher, I agree it's a mom thing cuz I'm still crying too!! My daughter will turn 3 when we go to Disney and I'm going to make her a card too!! We aren't going until March but I'm trying to get her into the habit of wearing her fanny pack now so she gets used to it. I would be hysterical if I ever lost her!!!!:( :( :(

BarbOKW

06-07-2001, 02:33 PM

I've lost my kids more than I like to admit, but they all (I have 4) think nothing of just walking away. But one of the worst was when my 3 year old walked out of the Disney Cartoon on Main Street. We had stopped in before a parade and when we left my husband and I did a head count and we only had 3 kids. We looked in the theater and no 3 year old. We immediatly contacted a cast member and I swear security came from everywhere. It took about 15 minutes but he was found window shopping along Main Street, had no idea that he was lost. A nice man came up to us when he was found and said he'd been watching him for about 10 minutes wondering wear the parents were and was about to tell a cast member, but since my son wasn't upset he hadn't yet. Needless to say I was very upset all I could think about was we're sooo close to the entrance.

But the worst was when we had a condo on St. Petersburg, same son now 4. We were all at the pool and my husband said he was going to the room for a while, he left and my son said he wanted to go with him, so I told him to go catch up. I thought my husband heard me tell him that our son was going with, but when he got to the elevator he just went up (it's one of those places where you need a key to get into the elevator). Well I thought my son had caught up with my husband, I also thought my husband knew he was coming with. Needess to say 45 minutes later my husband comes back down, and I ask where's our son? He looks confused, long story short we realize he's been missing for 45 minutes. Everyone at the pool goes into action, we're running up and down the beach, called the police. As it turns out when he didn't catch Dad he looked for another way to get into the elevator and some how ended up on the Beach, he walked a mile down. A wonderful man found him and was trying to help, but all my son could tell him was that we were staying at a condo with a pool on the beach. That narrows it down. The man also called the police and we were finally reunited. I gained a few grey hairs that day!

Rajah*

06-07-2001, 02:42 PM

That is a wonderful idea!! I will do that this time we go for our youngest!! I'm glad every thing worked out! :D

kinlaw6450

06-07-2001, 08:03 PM

Thank you all for your posts. I am in the process right now of making ID cards for my kids. We are leaving for Florida and Disney World in 7 days.

My daughter is a daddy's girl and will not go far but my son has NO FEAR! I will have these cards and pictures in there packs from the moment we leave!

I can not begin to thank you all enough

Kami

KimT

06-07-2001, 08:54 PM

I am sooo happy your story has a happy ending!! It must have been terrifying those moments without your DD!! You should be very proud of how she remained calm and did just as she had been instructed. You should also pat yourself on your back for being so prepared. We have been to Disney many times since my son was 5 (he is now 16!!) I also have a 5 yr old DD who has been each year since she was 1. It never crossed my mind to do the things you mentioned. We are leaving for Disney in 3 weeks and you can be sure I plan on doing just as you did. Thanks a million for your insight!

MNT568

06-11-2001, 03:16 PM

I am always so scared about losing my son, he is an adventuresome 3 yr. old that tends to wander. I can just imagine how terrible it must feel when you can't them. Thank goodness everything worked out fine. We will be in Disney on October and I am nervous about losing my son. I already bought a lease and told him that if he runs way from Mommy he has to wear it. The card idea is great, my son loves to wear my ID from work. I am going to make us his own ID and get him use to it before we go.

celebrate life

06-12-2001, 03:23 PM

issa:

Your story brings back memories. And YES! it can happen to anyone. We had a similar experience with our (then) 5 yr. old son. I Will always have some identification on them when traveling. Possibly past their teen years (ha-ha), will probably have to hide it then, but oh well.

We were on a trip to Disneyland with 5 and 3 yr old sons. We had taken a side trip to Seaworld in San Diego, and had stopped to play at the GIANT play structure. (Too many exits from this, that is why most of them today only have one way in and out, must have been 5 ways out). We were watching them play up high on a bridge/walkway and the youngest was following his brother (we thought). We waited on the other end for them to both emerge, but only the 3 year old came out. We began to look frantically for the 5 year old, but he was no where in sight. We called his name numerous times, and had all the help looking for him, even in their high tower. NO WHERE!

Now, to lose a child, there is no explaining the fear and panic that overcomes you. This is my husbands worse FEAR of all time, and the primary reason I can hardly get him on vacations. I told him that would NEVER happen to us, because we watch them so closely. Well, guess what, it happened. My husband darted to the front gates, to be sure that no one stole him from the park, and to guard the gate. I had everyone on their radios, while keeping the 3 year old in tow. What a total nightmare. It must have been nearly 20-30 minutes, you lose track of time, of shear panic, and calling his name etc. Finally I had someone climb back into the tower and seach the play area very well. I did have an ounce of brains, thankgoodness, and had both of them dressed in the same shirts everyday. (Easy to identify, and makes for cute pictures too). Well this trick worked, and they knew what clothes to be looking for, and low and behold had found him playing in a sand box quite a dstance from where we had lost him, (not really in hearing range, but still in the play structure area).

I hugged and kissed him and asked him if he knew we had lost him? He had no idea what I was talking about. He wasn't lost. He was there all the time, and had took off with some kid he had bumped into on the swing/bridge to play in this different area. I grabbed them both, holding on to them VERY TIGHTLY, and found my husband. I thought we would NEVER get to go on a vacation again. Well, we since have, but learned a great lesson along the way. We know our kids are smart enough never to leave with anyone, but you (unfortunately) never know in this day and age.

And, Yes, we did have a good, rest of the trip, but that night was rather ruined. We definitely needed to recouperate.

Glad all turned out well for you. Sorry you had to go through that experience.

celebrate life

faeflora

06-14-2001, 04:14 PM

OK we have no children but we do have two young nieces and one great niece and I would totally freak if I lost any of them anywhere...what a great idea to print out ID cards...I will definitely pass this tip along to my sister in law..

issa-I am so glad your story had a happy ending it definitely brought a tear to my eye.

Lisa P.

06-16-2001, 01:47 AM

This can happen in one of the water parks, too. One scary area is the floating lazy rivers, where several children can be hard to keep together with you. We've had close calls there.

We'd always pointed out the red swimsuits and the ID pins of the CMs to all of our children when we entered the water parks. After noticing quite a few red swim trunks on guests, we'd told the kids to identify a woman CM to ask for help if they got lost and to never, ever leave the gate without us.

Our DD was 7 the first time we went to Blizzard Beach and our twin sons were just 5. We all split up for a while as my DH took our DD to the bigger slides and I took our little boys to the Ski Patrol area where the slides are a bit tamer. I asked them to stay together with me and we'd regroup at the bottom of the biggest slide. As a preschooler, David was a fearless child, easily given to wandering or rushing ahead. I'd never lost him before but we'd had our moments. To make matters worse, he is deaf in one ear. If he is turned so that there is noise on his good side while you speak to him from his deaf side, forget it, he doesn't even know you've spoken.

Anyway, he rushed ahead to the slide stairs, all excited. By the time I reached the top, he'd slid down. By the time I slid down, David was gone. Gone completely. Knowing his tendency to wander, I had no idea which way he'd run off or how long it would take him to realize he was lost. I couldn't go to look for him until our other DS had come down the slide and out of the splash pool at the bottom.

In those seconds, the most horrible, panicky, sick feeling swept over me but I had to try and keep calm with Matthew watching. I called out for David, knowing he couldn't hear me with all the music and pool noise. I grabbed Matt's hand and we hurried all around the immediate area looking for him. After a few minutes, I went to a CM lifeguard and told her that I'd just lost my son and he wasn't a strong swimmer. She asked me what he looked like and I just pointed to Matt and said, "like him, but in a red swimsuit!" She radio'd something in and then asked me to go to the First Aid area to make out a report.

Then the tears came. All I could think about was how he'd hated that loaner lifevest we'd made him wear and he might take it off to play in the wave pool or lazy river and now I had to leave the area where he'd last seen me and oh, where was my DH?!?!? When you are thinking these things, the noise of lots of children playing and splashing in the water is LOUD. The CM called for someone to come and take me to First Aid. A pleasant CM arrived quickly and we started to walk off but my mind was racing. Every second was an eternity. At least 10 minutes had passed since David has slid down that slide and out of sight.

We started walking out of the Ski Patrol area and there ahead of us... was David. His face was pale and frightened and he was darting down the path, headed straight for a woman CM in a red suit. I called him but of course he didn't hear me. Matt & I ran to him and we all just huddled crying for a moment.

It took us a few minutes to calm down enough to thank the CM and go back to the slides. After that, Matt & Dave stayed tightly together and I wrestled with fighting back tears for a few more hours. When my DH got back with DD, and I told him what had happened, we all felt so relieved that it had worked out alright. The good thing that came of it was that it was only the second day of our first trip to WDW with the kids. They have always made a big effort to hold hands together with us in any crowds ever since. That was 5 years ago.

issa

06-22-2001, 08:46 AM

WoW Lisa p. your story really hits home. Its true those seconds last an eternity and your mind wanders and fears all the scary possiblities.

I am so glad your story turned out all right...I hadnt even thought of losing a child in a water park and all the risks assc. with it.

I think its amazing how we all as parents get tired and overworked...and just dream of just 5 mins alone, but when our child is missing you' d give anything to have them buggin you for somthing..ANYTHING as long as they are there...really puts things into focus

CarolynNC

06-25-2001, 04:22 PM

He came up to me crying and I figured he was lost. I explained the CM's could put the word out and would find his dad. I then turned him over to a CM. My son saw a lot of kids with halter leashes and wrist leashes. He said he thought it was cruel. I tried to explain how difficult it was to keep up with kids in a crowd and how some kids just don't stay close by. I thought it was much more humane to have them leashed than to chance them coming to harm (which can even happen at WDW). After witnessing how upset the young lost boy was, he figured it might be a reasonable solution. Since my son's now 14 I'm finished with the wandering off part but I'm gearing up for the 'late returns when driving' fiasco. :)

Carolyn

TrlyScrumptious

06-29-2001, 05:36 PM

....at the Disneyland Hotel last week. I had called for the elevator to come to the 11th floor, and when the doors opened, out walked a little girl (age five) all alone and sobbing ike crazy. I said: "Are you lost?" and she said that she was looking for her daddy and her baby sister. I took her into the concierge lounge where they immediately called security and tried to locate her family's reservation on the computer. She didn't know her room number, but she thought that she had been staying "not on the top floor, but below it" and that she had eaten in the Concierge Lounge before, so she was probably a concierge guest. Her surname sounded unusual and she wasn't sure how to spell it, so the concierge never did find the family on the computer.

Apparently what happened was that her dad called for the elevator to the 10th floor and when it arrived, she jumped in before her dad was able to, and the doors closed and left her in elevator alone. When I called for the elevator to the 11th floor, it brought her up to us. If I'd been thinking straight, I suppose I could have realized that if I just jumped back in the elevator with her, her dad would have been frantically pushing to re-call the elevator back to the 10th floor...but I just didn't think of it. Anyway, it took about 5 minutes for the security officer to arrive and reunite everyone, and it all worked out fine.

I must say that her dad was MUCH cooler about the whole thing than I would have been. I would've been hysterical. Maybe it was a "dad-thing."

I had worried about losing our son all week, so I made a laminated luggage tag that had his name, all of our flight information (in case he got lost in the airport), all of our hotel information (building, floor) and our cell phone numbers, and the radio channels we were planning to use. I just made him wear his "luggage tag" strapped onto a belt loop on his shorts every time we left our hotel room. Fortunately, we never needed it, but it gave me a little extra peace-of-mind!

kidzmom3

04-12-2002, 07:27 AM

What an incredible thread. I wanted to respond so that it would reappear on the new posts list. Every parent should be prepared to identify their child and every kid should have some way of being identified. I am definetly looking into some of these ideas.

BevS97

04-12-2002, 08:03 AM

Well worth a bump I think.

I just wanted to add that the leashes are a marvellous idea - but waiting to use them as a deterrant is too late. You need to use them right away.

We took to looping one end of our dds leash over the handle of her stroller when she was in it - it kept the leash from trailing and if she did try to hop out, she would be dragging a stroller behind her so we would hopefully notice!

I think I will also be making a luggage tag up - that's a great idea

Bev

crisi

04-12-2002, 11:37 AM

I lost my three year old (then two) in a wooded playground for 45 minutes. Think I shortened my life by ten years.

We had our two and three year old on leashes. A few dirty looks (but those generally changed when they noticed the second toddler), but far more comments on how smart we were. The first day, it was like walking two excited dogs - we'd have lost them for sure without the leashes. By the end of the week, they had learned and we'd let them off as long as they stayed close (and the adults weren't outnumbered).

"Dogtags" (the military ones, not the doggie ones) can be gotten fairly cheaply and your child's name, your name and (in our case) our cell phone number fit very nicely. If we'd had lost either child, the hope was my husband's cell phone would have rung.

Kevs mom

04-12-2002, 12:55 PM

I know how bad that mother feels, we lost our 7 year old DD walking out at the end of the Fantasmic show last April - it was the WORSE 10 minutes of my life! There were 12 of us in our group and I was holding my DS's hands and thought that my DD was with DH, well needless to say with 5 children with us on that vacation I was always doing head counts, well my heart just sank when I realized she wasn't with us - she had gone straight to a CM like we had told the children to do if they were lost and we found her holding hands with the CM - she was crying, so was I, but so HAPPY to have found her, I tell you it is moments like that that make you think about those poor parents whose children are taken and they never find them:( I can't imagine. Well it turns out after talking with her that DD was with our group but then saw something and stopped to look at it and that is how she got lost in the crowd away from us. That identification card is a wonderful idea and I will use it next time we visit WDW just in case something like that ever happens again but I have to say after that one incident my DD sticks to me like glue when we are in a place like that!

vicb

04-12-2002, 11:20 PM

When we saw a family with two toddlers who were using brightly colored coiled wrist "leashes" at WDW, my 9 yr. old DD commented on how "cool" they were and even she recognized what a great safety idea they were!

Don't be embarrased to use them or let any rude stares or comments bother you, nothing is more important than the safety of our kids!

I lost sight of DD for about 3-4 min. in a dept. store when she was 2 1/2. It was truely awful....she was hiding inside a circular clothes rack... it can happen so quick!:(

Ali

04-13-2002, 10:17 AM

Last saturday we were at the MK and since we have a 1 year old we stay in the baby center a lot of the time. Well, a crying child about 6 or 7 came in with a CM and they got her name and her mommies name and asked her if she wanted a drink and tried to make her comfy. She finally stopped crying and ate a big lollypop while coloring, and after about 30 minutes they said they found her mommy. Aboiut 30 minutes after that, her mom and sister came in. No hysterics, no hugs, She just said, it's not her fault she got lost, it's her stupid daddies. I was shocked at her behavior, and I am sure I would be hysterical when I picked up my lost child. They were in line to go on a ride, one parent was staggered 15 minutes back in the line, and the little girl asked her dad if she could go up and wait with mommy. He said yes - the girl never found her mom, and no one knew she was missing until they all had ridden the ride. What a weird family.

On another note, dones anyone know of a place that would embroider my last name and cell phone number on a tag that could be ironed into my son's clothes like if he was going to camp? He is too young for a fanny pack and the only other way to identify him is to write on his arm with permanant marker as I saw a family do .

mykidsmom

04-13-2002, 09:53 PM

Ali-

Maybe an easier alternative to getting iron ons, would be a tip I received here and used successfully for my 5 and 3 year old. They did not wear fanny packs either. We laminated small slips of paper with the resort they were staying, our cell phone numbers, etc. and put them in their shoe. We drilled into their head that if they got lost to find a CM and to take their shoe off and show them. Fortunately, they never got lost, but every morning we discussed the what ifs, and they seemed pretty clear about what to do.

PS. By laminating I actually used contact paper.

sjjdbatch

04-14-2002, 08:00 PM

We will be going soon and love these ideas, but agree wrist leashes shouldn't be used just as a punishment. At the local zoo parents say what a good idea and my response to teens muttering "omg they're on a leash!" is "better than on a milk carton!" Two active boys in 90 degree heat - a wrist leash will be more comfortable and give more freedom than hand holding. All these children who were lost could have just as easily been abducted. SO SCARY!

sjjdbatch

04-14-2002, 08:02 PM

ttfnpooh

04-18-2002, 04:36 PM

Glad to hear that everything worked out and she was ok. We are going in Sept/Oct and my 2 kids are 11 & 13. I am taking them up to get State ID's. I have been wanting to get this done anyway, but thought it would be really helpful on our trip. I want them to have them if for ex. they are in a car and there is an accident they can be identified if unable to speak. Gina

cruisnfamily

04-21-2002, 03:54 PM

Reading this thread has refreshed in my mind what a terryfying experience that was...I'm actually almost crying reading this. What a great wake up call for all of us. Thanks for posting!

Last summer, me, my DD then 8, DNiece then 8, my DNiece 15 and my DS then 5 were at a water park (adventure Island) and were leaving the children's play area to go home. As we were all trailing out of the play area I said "first we'll go up here for some cotton candy then we'll go to the locker rooms and change"...Well, we walked up, got the cotton candy turned around and......Billy was GONE! It had been about 5 mins by this time. Well, we flipped out! The 8 year olds wanted to go look and I was afraid they'd get lost. I sent the 15 yr old off looking, told the 8 year olds not to move even one inch from the spot we were standing in and ran up to security at the entrance. As I was telling security my tale, a young boy (maybe 10?) said " oh I saw him, they're taking him to Fabian's Funport (which was the children's play area we had just left). Well, I went running back there, about 15 minutes gone by at this point and there is my DNiece(15) holding my DS in the play area and there are the two 8 year olds, standing exactly where they had been told to wait. I was CRYING! It turns out that he never heard me say the cotton candy part, we went right for cotton candy, he went left for the locker rooms...it wasn't until he got to the locker rooms that he realized we weren't with him. He says he went up to a "mom kind of person" and told her he couldn't find his mom and she took him to security. He told security where he had lost us and they took him back there which is where my niece found him.

Oh, I actually am crying writing this. It was only 15 minutes but what a horrible 15 minutes! I will use the ID idea on our upcoming trips...what a great idea!

susy

04-21-2002, 06:53 PM

My son is 4 and I always stick a big sticker on his shirt that says, "if lost please call our cell #___________". I don't care how silly he looks with a sticker on his shirt. I don't know how he would react in an emergency. If he screams, someone will notice him and that sticker. Our cell is , of course, in our fanny pack.

elemusing

04-21-2002, 09:52 PM

I am so glad your story had a happy ending. :) I am crying right now. I always masking tape my Ds name inside all of his shirts with other info, etc, but I don't know if anyone would think to look there if he got lost.

Pointing out the CMs is a great idea, and I thank you for your story.

Angie

RHarnish

04-24-2002, 11:39 AM

Thank heavens that everything turned out well for everyone here! My SIL has always teased me about being overprepared in the diaper bag, and hypervigilant about watching my DD...we've always made it our first thing at any large facility where a child could get lost to stop and show her the employees' tags and discuss what to do if "Mommy and Daddy get lost". I'm so glad to hear of other parents doing the same! (Maybe I'm not neurotic after all!)I LOVE the laminated ID idea and will be making it up. I'm thinking of punching a hole in it and using a safety pin to secure it to her waistband of her shorts under her shirt if I can't get her to wear a fanny pack. I'll also laminate her favorite picture of us...what a great idea to help CMs double check parent ID (although I'm sure they've done quite well without it.)...and one of her. An idea in the Passporter book was to take a Poloroid photo of you child each day and carry it with you...but I don't have that type of camera. I do note down what she's wearing, etc. each day and carry it with me.

One thing that at CM mentioned to me about keeping kids safe was that altho kids clothes can be changed and hair dyed in just a few minutes, most kidnappers would NOT change the shoes as they would have no idea of what size to have with them...it made sense to me, and ever since, I have always made sure I know exactly what shoes my DD is wearing, along with her outfit for the day.

Off to make ID tags...thanks SO much for the idea!

Berta

docswkids

04-25-2002, 03:52 PM

Thankfully abductions of children by strangers is a relatively rare occurrence in this country. I think the best defense a parent has is constant vigilance and education of their children once they are old enough to be taught about safety. I do want to add that the stories that abound about children's clothes and hair being altered by abductors in store bathrooms are thankfully urban legends. Unfortunately, there are so many twisted evil people out there I wouldnt doubt that it might give someone ideas. Here is a site that reviews the validity of such stories.

http://www.ulrc.com.au/html/report.asp?CaseFile=ULRR0056&Page=1&View=Request&Collection=Urban%20Dangers

phoebusII

04-25-2002, 06:19 PM

What a great thread. I have always prided myself on being a vigilent parent and keeping a close eye on my kids. But, wouldn't you know it, my DD got lost last time at Disney too. We were at the Fantasmic show and DH decided to go to the bathroom before we took our seats so DD, DS and I waited for him. While waiting, I noticed DS didn't smell so good and needed a diaper change, so rather than taking the kids into the bathroom and leaving DH wondering where we all went I decided to just change him on a bench. DD was right next to me and suddenly she was gone! I started screaming her name. But no one paid any attention, even the CM standing right there. About 2 minutes later DH shows up with her. She had seen him come out of the restroom and ran to him. He decided he wanted a soda and took her to a soda cart which was just a few yards away, but my line of sight was blocked by another cart. So I had no idea where she was. She has been told over and over since then never to run away from mommy even if just to run to daddy, but she still does it. He has been told over and over to bring her right back to me if she runs to him so I know where she is, but seems to think its no big deal. I'm still mad at him as I write this.
I think the ID is a good idea, but DD usually wears clothes with no pockets and I don't think she will wear something uncomfortable in her shoe. How about hang it around her neck or some kid of bracelet. Any ideas?

jmpap

05-04-2002, 07:15 PM

I am so glad that everything turned out okay. I know what you mean. My DH and I are the ones who never let our children out of our sight and our daughter wandered away from us on our last vacation in the Wisconsin Dells. We found her but that was the longest 3 minutes of my life. We are leaving for Disney in 5 days and I am trying to prepare my girls for what to do if they get lost. Can anyone tell me what the CM dress like at the parks? What colors, do they wear jackets? Any info that I can give them ahead of time would be very much appreciated. Thanks!!

RHarnish

05-05-2002, 10:21 AM

Originally posted by jmpap

Can anyone tell me what the CM dress like at the parks? What colors, do they wear jackets? Any info that I can give them ahead of time would be very much appreciated. Thanks!!

:) Happy to help. The costumes of the cm's vary according to were they are working. However, they ALL wear a white name tag in an oval shape on their shirt/blouse. The name tag is easy to spot. My suggestion is to perhaps stop at City Hall and use a CM to point this out to your child. (They have been very gracious about our doing this with our daughter--they don't want your child lost any more than you do!) In the past, the CM has often chimed in with our instructions to DD and told her it is really ok for her to ask anyone with the white tag for help at any time...that this would be one time when it was OK to talk to a stranger if Mom and Dad weren't around, but to make sure the that person had a white tag on "just like mine". It seemed to put my DD at ease. If you have forgotten the ID that has been discussed in this thread, you can ask for a "kid tag" which you can fill out and pin to their shirt. (Have a few safety pins with you, just in case...)

Have a safe and wonderful trip!
Berta

jmpap

05-06-2002, 09:22 AM

RHarnish - Thanks so much for the info!! I am getting the tags for the kids and I will definitely talk to a CM when we first get there. This will be especially helpful for my 4 yr old daughter because she is pretty shy and doesn't actively talk to strangers but she needs to know what to do in case of an emergency. Thanks again for the help!

Amy

05-06-2002, 12:14 PM

Glad to hear your story had a happy ending! I know how you feel - last year we were at WDW with our 2 ds's, 9 and 11. We just exited Festival of Lion King at AK, crossed a little bridge and ds11 stopped to take a picture. DH, I and ds9 went to the end of the bridge (maybe 15 feet away) to take a pix from another angle. Next thing I knew, DS11 was nowhere to be seen! DH set out to look for him, and I headed for the nearest CM (a cookie stand I believe) to report DS missing. Now, he's 11 and able to think for himself, but I was still terrified of what could have happened. Turns out, he knew we were planning to leave the park after the Lion King show, so he just headed to the exit while looking for us (unfortunately, DH headed back toward the Lion King show, in the opposite direction). The CM I talked to asked for a full description (be sure to notice what your kids are wearing each day!!) and then got on his walkie talkie. He told me they "close off" the park exits when there's a missing child; don't know if that's true or not, but maybe they at least check people out as they're leaving. Anyway, by this time DS11 realized he couldn't find us, so he talked to the CM where they rent the lockers, who directed him to customer service or whatever right inside the gates and we were reunited there (after we waited for DH to come back so HE didn't end up lost also!).

An aside - they gave DS11 a coupon for a free Mickey ice cream. So of course, DS9 says "I'm going to get lost so I can get free ice cream, too!" Kids!

MaggieMouse

05-06-2002, 01:46 PM

I'm travelling alone with my two kids (8, 21 months) when we go this year and this was a very helpful thread. I'm definitely getting one of the "leashes" for my DD since I know she's not going to sit in the stroller the whole time. And it wouldn't be fair for her to, there's so much to do! My 8 year old is pretty good but sometimes he's in his own little world. The laminated tags are a good idea for him. I've been several times with just him and I've told him about cast members and such. We always review what to do before we leave the hotel for the day. He's pretty vocal and friendly so I think he would be matter of fact about the whole thing. But I of course would be a basket case!

Thanks again for the tip.

nicknamy1996

05-06-2002, 04:27 PM

Thank you for all the great tips, this year our kids were 9 month and 2 1/2. We did not think to carry photos or give them identification of any kind. The baby was always in a stroller or being held. We had a leash for the 2 yo but didn't bring it to the park the first day, bad move. He always wanted to walk. From the second day on we used the leash and it worked out great. He would always be holding our hands but it was nice to have the leash when I needed two hands to pay for something or take a picture. We received only good comments on it. And many iquireies(?) on if we bought it in the parks and where they could get one. I love the "...better than on a milk carton" line but never would have needed it.

Next year, and from now on the children will be "Tagged" and I will have a recent photo of both of them. I think each morning I will wright on the back of the photo what they are wearing because in a panic I would probably not be able to answer that even if I made a mental note of it that morning.

9 months and counting.

Swan

05-20-2002, 10:47 PM

After reading this post I went over all the info with y 7&9 y/o. They answered all the questions right, but then my dd asked if it was okay to leave the park with a CM. In told her no, that she is not to leave the park with anyone other than us. In her mind she thought it was okay since they would be taking her back to our resort. I explained that there was a place for lost kids in the parks where the CMs took the kids so that the parents could find them. I have always talked to my kids about strangers and how to act,so it kind of suprised me that she thought it was okay to leave with a CM.

Jordan's MOM

05-21-2002, 06:41 AM

nicknammy

Another idea rather than writting on the photo what they are wearing would be to take a polorid picture of them each morning after they are dressed for the park. That way everyone would know exactly what they are looking for. Sorry if this has been mentioned as this thread is quite long.

jordan's mom

POOH&PIGLET

05-21-2002, 07:39 AM

Yes I know it can happen to anyone.
Yes I know it will probably happen to me.

BUT, the original poster claims that they had lost sight of their 5-year-old for 3 minutes (assuming that 3 minutes is accurate). That seems like a long time to not see your child, especially when they are supposed to be with you in a stroller.

Anyway, I am glad for all the information and great advice in this thread. I am printing the entire thread and I hope to put the advice to practical use on our next trip.

Also, I have no idea about the truth or falsity surrounding the urban legend about children's clothes and hair being altered by their abductors. However, WDW is a big attraction to pedophiles for obvious reasons.

RHarnish

05-21-2002, 07:40 AM

Swan, thanks for sharing your dd's comment. I would have never thought to mention that my dd shouldn't leave the parks with anyone but us...we forget too easily how the young mind works sometimes...

Great insight!

Have a wonderful trip!
Berta

trayletha

05-21-2002, 11:39 AM

Those were the scariest posts I've ever read. Thank you. We are taking our DD for our first trip in October. She will be almost 4, and has NO fear. (At day care she jumped off the top of the slide; to see what would happen!!!! :eek: luckily she was OK)

I talked with my husband and before we leave we are all going to get passport photos made, JC Penny/CVS and WalMart all do them cheap. Then I'm going to make up cards with her picture and ours - our names, cell phone numbers, the airline info, resort info and grandma's number and address at home and then have them laminated. I figure I can punch a holes in them (more then one in case one gets lost, plus we can each carry one so all the info matches)and hang one around her neck with some beads or something (she loves wearing necklaces). I'm posting all this I case anyone else wants to do the same. Plus I think I'll print the cards on lime green paper. :)

issa

05-22-2002, 07:51 PM

wow..i wrote this now over a year ago!!...we just returned from our second trip and used the same methods and had a wonderful vacation for 2 wonderful weeks. I went to reread my orginal post (I am sooo humilated by the bad typos and grammer..it was hard to write) and yes..I did write 3 mins...I really cant besure of the time span..it was an enterity and a blink of an eye.

to put it in more "accurate" timing....we were by end of the bridge by the hub( teacups way) ....we walk down the side walk to the next walkway ( tommorrow land) now mind you...this is not on the bridge to tommorow land nor before the bridge...this is the sidewalk where you can see the sign but still in the hub....soo I would guess about 10 to 15 steps???? looking back I cant see how that was three mintes but it probrably felt that way and for my mis calulation in time I apologize. I asked Loki his remembrance and he says 1 minute is still over shooting it LOL so it was probrably that slow motion parent panic watch I was going by. again...when I wrote the orginal post it was still very raw and terrifing.