Lost Child!

I spent a good couple of hours last night looking for a kid that decided to stress out his parents by not coming home. One of Matt's friends was angry about how the school day had gone, and the trouble he was in at home, and decided not to get on the bus. His mother called me, and the boys and I headed back to the school to try to find him. As soon as Wes found out a child was missing, he went out searching too. Wes is a better detective than I am, and has a little more pull as a fellow Police officer. He checked surveillance tapes at the closest grocery store to the school and saw him walking in the paint isle before being asked to leave. He was able to track him to Walmart and several other places in the city, sometimes missing him by mere 10 minutes. It was not until 10pm that he was found at a gas station quite a ways from home. Wes waited there until the mother showed up, and the only reason the child could give for his actions was that he was "feeling aggressive lately". He needed to walk it off for 7 1/2 hours!

After the stress of staying in contact with the child's mother, offering suggestions to my husband while searching, and trying to handle my business at home with my own son's, I am just a bit tired this morning. Frazzled.

That mother praised us as if we were saints, embarrassing my husband. And although we were glad for the 'thank you', it should have never been just us out there looking. The police did some quick run by's but never put any real effort into it because he was a "runaway", not their concern. Fine. Where were other friends and family? Other support? This poor woman was ALONE, waiting by the phone, her husband on the slope and unable to come help. My parents raised us different. It is our job to look out for others. If we don't do it, who will? Set a good example, and not just when things are going good and you can volunteer for an organization. BE THERE when things are going bad too, because THAT IS WHEN YOU ARE MOST NEEDED!