The Fire Department Rescued My Kids

Hey, what did you do today?  I picked up E's new glasses frames (C's amazing baby strength bent the old ones beyond the repair talents of the optical shop - thank goodness for warranties), let my kids play in the mall play area, walked through a toy store, and then LOCKED ALL THREE OF MY PRECIOUS CHILDREN IN THE CAR FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES WHILE I DIED SLOWLY AND REPEATEDLY UNTIL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED.

THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have had the keys in my pocket.  They are usually in the diaper bag and all is well, but for some reason, in my all-work-no-sleep exhaustion, I put them in my pocket.  As I loaded the stroller, I heard the *beep!* of the door opener thingie as I leaned against the car, but it didn't register.  Then I did what I always do: I threw my keys on the front seat, strapped everyone into their carseats, and shut the sliding door.  There!  Nice and secure!

I tried all the doors and then tried to get E and L to push hard on their carseat buttons, although if they had gotten those unlocked, they'd have had to wiggle out of the rest of the 5-point harness and I'm not sure if they can slip their massive melons through the straps.  I fought down my rising panic, because as I tell my orientees at work: panicking never helps.  It may feel good to let it bubble up all over everyone, but help?  Not so much.  All three kids were safe, it was a cool day, we were in the shade.  I kept telling myself that this sucks, but no one is in immediate danger.  Scared and uncomfortable, yes, but seeing their mom crying and carrying on was not going to ease their minds.  So I made silly faces through the window and encouraged them to sing C some songs.

I waylaid a young woman who was kind enough to run back into the mall and request that security come and then she stood by the road and flagged them down for me.  I did thank her, but I really should have given her a nice tongue-kiss.  She deserved it. 

I held it together just fine until the extremely fatherly fireman got there and started working on the door.  He glanced at me sympathetically and asked, "You okay, mom?" and suddenly I wasn't.  But that's okay because I come from people who push all their emotions deep down into their repressed souls and, hey, we may be overrun with psychosomatic illnesses, but that's just dandy because we didn't have to deal with our EMOTIONS, THANK GOD.  I nodded bravely and choked back my tears and he opened the door in less than a minute.  This was the second one this week, he told me, "and it's only Monday!"

Then he asked for my first and last name, address, and birthday.  I was all, "Um, and social services will be at my house when?" but he reassured me it was just for his report and there was no CPS call or even a bill in my future.  He truly was the stereotype of a public servant with his Tom Sellack mustache.  He may as well have tipped his cowboy hat at me when I thanked him and he drawled, "The fire department is here to serve, ma'am. You call us any time."

Comments

[sarah]

Been there...done that. I locked my 18 month old (maybe he wasn't even that old yet?) when I was moving carseats from my husband's car to my van. I put Ethan in the van and shut the door to keep him from falling out while I ran to hubby's car for the carseat. Well, the little stinker, who was not in any sort of seat or harness... (it was coming!)got into the front seat and pushed the lock button on the door. We got the cops to come and they were not so friendly... mumbling about being "glorified Triple A" under his breath while he unlocked my door.

I considered it a badge of parenthood.... happens to everyone (or at least that is what I tell myself!)

[Christine]

I called Poison Control today. And it wasn't even the first time. Just the first time for Julia.

I haven't locked the kids in the car yet, but only because our car has some sort of weird protection thingy that I actually can't - the driver's door stays unlocked.

[Kristen]

Oh my gosh, what a nightmare! I'm so glad that it wasn't as bad as it could have been and that you had kind people to help you. I hope you can have a big honkin' glass of wine tonight to relax.

[Linda]

Well if it's any consolation, the way you write about the incident is FUNNY. I'm trying not to laugh and feel your pain - but it's not working.

I'm glad everyone was fine. I'm sure one of my boys would have passed out from anxiety - good job!!!

[BethanyWD]

So sorry his happened! I have been close many times. My experiences with Fire Departments has always been amazing - they really do love what they do. We called once for a potential fire (ended up being burned out filaments in a newly turned on old garage freezer) and once because my son had choked on some peanuts (he was 18 months and I had to flip him over and do the whole hit firmly on the back until he threw up) and even though he could talk, I was still scared enough to call. When the distress call was my son choking, they were at our door in like THREE MINUTES. Once everything was okay, they mentioned how when they hear it's a child in distress they all move a bit faster.

I hope you are recovering tonight (hopefully with a glass - or TWO - of wine).

[Shalini]

Thank goodness everyone was okay! Yes a glass of wine sounds good!

[Simone]

awww. Sounds like a rough time, but you handled it perfectly.
In those types of situations, I hate it when people look at me sympathetically and ask caring questions. Seriously. I'm so glad there are people like that (hurray for kind strangers! really!), but it renders me completely undone. I can suppress my emotions perfectly well until then.

[Boulder]

Never met a fireman I didn't like. Glad your experience extends my streak! So sorry about the unneeded stress, but very happy that all ended well.

[Tracy]

I'm sorry! Yes, BTDT too, but oh, it's so scary at the time. Mine was asleep the entire time and didn't care. But I died a thousand deaths every minute that I had LOCKED my child in the CAR.

It's been 14 years since that happened, and I can feel the panic that I felt that day. I'm glad that you were able to get them out so quickly.

[Heather]

Sorry you had a rough day! Very good that the fireman was able to help you so quickly and nicely!

[Pam]

Well I have not locked my son in the car YET, but I did lock him in the house once, when he was oh 2 week old and had RSV. Does that make you feel better? I was running to the mailbox (well not running 2 week post C/S) and as soon as I shut the door, I realized I had locked it. Luckily my neighbor had a spare key to my house and was home. Everything was fine, but I felt like the worst Mom ever.

[Cherish]

Oh wow, I would never have held it together. Good for you! Ive done some pretty crappy things as a mom and Im sure the locking the kids in the car thing is in my future at some point.

[Bobbi]

I have nightmares about doing this very thing...the closest I've come so far is locking us all OUT of the car with everything (phone included) in the car. At a rest stop. 300 miles from home.

Glad to hear everything worked out well!

[Rebecca]

I'm glad everyone's ok! I am wondering what the nice young woman would have thought of your method of thanks. Your keeping calm probably turned what could have been a scary thing for your girls into an adventure.

[Summer]

You get mega points for staying calm on the outside. Anybody can make that mistake (who hasn't locked the keys in the car?) but not everyone can handle it so well.

We just got a new car, one with an "intelligent key" feature. The car senses that the key is in proximity to the car, so you don't have to stick it in the door or in the ignition, you just press a button. I wasn't sold on it's utility (I mean, am I really too lazy to put the key in the door?) until the salesman explained that you cannot lock the keys in the car, ever. Brilliant! Of course, now I am spoiled and lazy and feel annoyed when I get to the front door of my house and actually have to take my keys out of my purse. That's so 20th century.

[Jennifer]

In New Jersey, in the winter of 1997, I had just given birth to my first daughter. I was due to retrieve a friend from the airport in Philly and rushed around trying to pack all 300 items I thought we might need in the next two hours. It was my first outing on my own and I was feeling good that I had remembered to warm up the car, load everything in, lock the house, and still be on schedule. I set the final items on the passenger seat, locked and closed that door, and headed around to the driver's side. Well, I had locked that door out of habit (manual lock) after getting out the first time. You know, after turning on the ignition on to pre-warm the interior of the car.

So, my newborn baby was locked in the car with the engine running in the driveway of my rented house on the street from the old Saturday Night Live skits. The ones where Cheri O'Teri stood among rusty stuff on her porch in curlers and hurled household items at the neighborhood kids? I rang several, but no one answered their doorbells. I did not yet own a cell phone. I took one last look at my now crying baby in the back seat of my car and decided to solve my own problem. I rummaged in the storage shed and found an axe the owner had left behind. I walked around trying to decide which window would be the cheapest to replace before smashing the dining room window to bits. I climbed through, found my extra car keys and left for the airport.

I didn't say one word to my friend about the incident on the drive back to the house, but you should have seen her face when we pulled off of our junky street up to a house with a broken window and an axe resting beside it and I calmly retrieved my fresh baby from the back seat and walked right up to the door like nothing was wrong.

Your girls may never remember what happened at the mall parking lot, but I'm afraid that you are probably scarred for life. I'm glad everyone's okay, Linda. You handled it well.

[Jen]

glass of wine?!
take the bottle to bed, girlfriend.

i was stressed out just *reading* the post even though i KNEW the fire department got them out and everything was fine. ugh! i hope i wouldn't but i have a sneaking suspicion that i would have lost my shit right there in the parking lot. big giant props for not panicking, getting help and keeping the kids calm too! :)

[R]

Look forward to when the kids are in boosters. My two oldest are now and my second one can undo a carseat five point harness as well, so I feel reassured that if I did this now, I'd be able to instruct them to undo the seatbelt and undo the door for me. Glad all's well that ends well!

[Jody]

Oh God. Linda! You know, I locked myself out of my car once when I was by myself, I had run to the mall for some idiocy and left my kids with a friend, and I was all in a panic because my friend really needed to be home and I was waiting on AAA. So all I can think here, as I imagine the rising panic inside you, is think: damn, Linda, you did so good. I would have been a mess. And not only did you survive, but you can joke about it. And you noticed the fireman's mustache. And you are all affirming the goodness of humanity.

Really: you did so good. I'm impressed.

[liz s]

I did the exact same thing down to hearing the lock beep but not registering. It was in June but luckily not too hot. My husband was on his way home, so we just had to wait for daddy.

I was supposed to be taking one of my Girl Scouts to help her finish her paperwork for her Silver. What's that about "be prepared"

[liz]

Super hugs to you.

[Erin]

First: I am very glad that everything is OK.

Now that is out of the way: HEE! I totally did the same thing. Well, sort of. My kids weren't in the car, but my keys sure were.

Except, I was AT the fire department on a tour with my MOMS Club. And they couldn't open the car for me. They had to call the police.

The officer who came to my rescue was very nice (and smelled good, too!)(I love it when guys wear aftershave and smell yummy).

And I am with you on the sympathy thing, I do OK in stressful/emotional situations until someone is nice to me and then it's Tearsville.

[nonsoccermom]

OH! I don't think I would have been able to avoid the panic. Of course, I live in central Texas where it is blazingly hot nine months out of the year. I'm glad that everyone is okay!

[Lexie]

Oh, I haven't done that but only because I don't have a car! I have, however, gotten off the bus WITHOUT ONE OF MY CHILDREN (slow poke) and frantically waved down the bus like a raving lunatic.

Oh, and once when one of my kids got ambulanced to the ER, I was fine too. Sitting in the ambulance all calm, cool and collected...until the paramedic back there said, "Don't you worry, mamma, he is going to be just fine." Then I was all cry-y "III (sob) KNOOOOOW (sob,sob)!"

[marta]

18 years ago i locked my newish baby and almost three-year-old in the car right in front of the book drop at the library. Almost 3 had been climbing out of her car seat for months and i had her cinched in there so tightly she could hardly breath but after 20 minutes of calm-as-possible coaxing, she wormed her way out of it and unlocked the door for me. Wish i had thought of the fire department.