Out of sight; NOT out of mind

When your kids are little, you have to keep a close eye on them, watching their every move to be sure that they aren’t putting poisonous items into their mouths, playing with sharp objects, or hanging off the side a cliff (or the top of the jungle gym). As they get older, you loosen up your grip. They go to school, have sleepovers at their friend’s houses, and you are no longer able to keep a watchful eye on them at every moment. Although you might like to.

It’s a little scary at times. I’ve already told you how unsettled I get when my loved ones are out and about when a siren is blaring in the distance. I go crazy on the inside while trying to stay calm as I send a little message to them saying, “Just checking in. Where are you at?”

So, after YaYa pointed to the people exploring the rocks in front of one of the water falls at Yosemite, I gave him permission to check it out – thinking I’d be able to call him back whenever I was done taking pictures with my camera. Little did I know that the entire area he’d asked to explore was marked as “dangerous,” or that he would not stay where I could see him — or call him back.

I scrambled across the rocks in the effort to call him back, panic began setting in. I lost my footing numerous times while getting closer and closer to the falls, and still not able to see my precious baby. A string of what-ifs passed through my mind. And tears began streaming down my cheers as I hoped for the best but imagined the worst. I heard my own voice promising Tom to take good care of the kids.

Of course, YaYa is a smart boy who saw first-hand what a stupid move could lead to. Although he was out of sight, he was still a reasonable distance from the falls — having the time of his life.

Thank God.