one of those terrifying moments..

when in your mind you glimpse yourself as one of those desperate, heartbroken parents longing for news of their missing child…

that happened to me this past week when we went to the beach. Our lovely bloody stubborn,  strong willed daughter decided that she knew the way to the beach and disappeared on us. Beaches are big, yes..large spaces, this one has lots of sand dunes..so it wasnt a looking out straight to the horizon type of beach. She vanished…Ben left me and the other kids waiting on a path while he went off to look for her.

While we were waiting I heard her shouting and assumed that Ben had found her, only to turn round and see her running across a sand dune in the distance being followed by two older girls…and if it wasn't for..you know..the heart being an involuntary muscle..i think it may have just stopped.

I shouted with just about all the breathe in my lungs but the wind carried by voice away and i knew i was going to have to try and get to her as quickly as possible. A split decision made as i had the two older kids and toddler..to leave them standing together and run for all I had up the sand dune to see if i could get to her. 

Running up a sand dune, now that is a work out. i pretty much willed my legs the last bit and almost felt sick from the effort. 

Spinning frantically around i couldn't see or hear her. More panic. 

Running onto the beach was easier as it was downhill and rounding the corner I saw a large group of kids and adults and behind them in the distance..there she was…walking between two older girls who where heading towards the car park. 

Screaming as loud as i could and waving my arms like crazy, the girls eventually heard me over the wind and turned and then it was over. 

She was in floods of tears, i was fighting with the two polar opposite emotions of wanting to throw my arms around her and of wanting to unload a stack of anger at her for being so stubborn and refusing to come with the rest of us. I went for a bit of a mixture i have to say in all honesty. 

Dragging her back up sandy hill to the others, Ben met me half way up the sand dune with the other three kids i had left at the foot of the sand dune all safe and happy. 

Then i sat down, hyperventilated a bit and thought wildly over dramatic thoughts. 

Best thing about kids? That 2 minutes later she was behaving the same way as if nothing had happened whilst i felt like i needed a two week break at a spa. 

i took this about 10 minutes after we found her….

when my hands stopped shaking and my heart rate dropped below 500!

 

teamjames