re: Lost Your Child…For a Little While…?
That’s such a nightmare scenario! Astaghfirullah.
It takes just one time for something to happen… Just once and an eternity of regret 
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re: Lost Your Child…For a Little While…?
Laanat hai aisay maa baap per. What goes around comes around. If somehow you were able to follow this child’s life into his adulthood, you would very definitely see him forget about his mother and father when they are old and need him, he won’t care either. How you treat your children growing up is how they treat you when you’re old. This is why it is very important for us now to listen to our children ramble and jibber jabber on about absolute nonsense because if we keep telling them to be quiet, when they are teens, they will not talk to us. Talk to your children, love them, hug them, play stupid made up games with them, make them the center of your universe (after The Creator of course) and they will grow up to treat you the same when you’re old and YOU need THEM.
re: Lost Your Child…For a Little While…?
I was about 5 years old and at O’Hare airport with my mom and 2.5 year old sister. We were on our way to Pakistan. My mom was also pregnant at the time. It was winter time so everyone was in winter gear and O’Hare was jampacked with people.
I got confused and started following this coat that looked exactly like my mom’s. I followed that person onto another plane and sat down…slipped past the gate personnel as well.
When I got on and looked up, it wasn’t my mom but someone else. I just sat there quietly thinking about positively nothing. Soon after there was a ton of commotion and I was escorted off and handed to my mom.
She had just about had a stroke by then. I don’t even know what must have gone through her mind during those few minutes when it all happened. She was terrified, crying, upset and had literally stopped the entire airport to find me.
Separately…to Muzna’s point. I was shopping at our local grocer’s and noticed this little kid…no more than 2.5 following me around the store. He followed me through the entire place so I knew he was lost…he kept peeking at me quietly. I panicked when I realized this kid really has no one around him. I called the security personnel and they proceeded to look for his mom. I stayed with the child because I couldn’t seem to just leave him there. What if they didn’t find his mom? I’d wonder about him forever. 30 minutes later a woman strolls by on her CELL PHONE, smiles to the kid and he runs over to her. She didn’t even so much as acknowledge the people who were crowded around this kid…she just kept walking down the cereal aisle.
I wanted to punch her in the face.
re: Lost Your Child…For a Little While…?
i am very careful despite i lost 2 at the same time for about 5 min at a mini concert at a shopping mall.
re: Lost Your Child…For a Little While…?
This was exactly my state.
I had to physically remove myself from the area, go back to our bench and have some water or I’m sure that I would have strangled her.
Rather than be apologetic, this woman was being antagonistic and yelling at people that her kid was never lost.
ive managed to “lose” both my kids at seo occassions, once each.
both over abaya confusion in arabia!
midget started following the wrong abaya clad woman, thankfully i saw him before he turned the corner and ran after him
genie walked off following a man carrying balloons and without looking up, held onto another woman’s hand … the woman noticed this kid holding onto her and was about to ask who she belinged to when i found her…
each happened in a matter of seconds. one second they r there.. the next, they arent!
that day fwd.. kids wear bracelets every single time they head out the door… name, address and ohone number on em.
i was just talkin to a friend about this… if ppl can have chips put in their pets… incase they go missing…we need to put the same chips in our kids! im all up for that!
re: Lost Your Child…For a Little While…?
Wow, Muzna, that’s the height of carelessness and irresponsible behaviour. You know what they say, not everyone is meant to be a parent.
I have three siblings. My sister and one of my brothers have never had any such incidents. My sis has always been the responsible kid who would look after the rest of us. My youngest brother got lost once…he was probably 4 or 5. We went to naana abu’s house and all my khalas were invited over as well plus maamu’s family. So it was a full house that summer afternoon. The kids were playing in the front yard. The main gate was locked. I guess all adults were inside chatting away. When the maid left, my youngest brother quietly slipped out and kept walking until he reached the bridge to the main bazaar. We were very lucky that someone from our neighbourhood spotted him there on the main road walking towards the bridge and brought him back on his bike. Meanwhile, in the house, my sister noticed him missing and went to report this to my parents. My dad and maamu immediately left the house and went looking for him. The rest of us searched inside the house and nearby candy shops plus neighbours’ houses. After about 35 min or so, this guy brought him home and my mom could breathe again. She had cried her eyes out and started wailing loudly, and grandmother was on the prayer mat the whole time… I was really young but I still remember the terrified looks on everyone’s faces. sigh
re: Lost Your Child…For a Little While…?
After I saw how this woman was dressed, I recalled seeing her exercising on the outdoor gym equipment that is installed at the park. I wonder how long she had been doing that rather than watching her kids…
re: Lost Your Child…For a Little While…?
I am a little scared sharing this cuz muzna and aahmed might phenti-fy me.
As a child, I purposely got “lost” twice cuz I wanted my space to read my books in peace 
So one time I was reading in the bathroom bath tub upstairs and someone locked the door from outside. I was like, oh well, I’ll just finish my book then knock on the door and someone will come open. That time involved announcements in the masjid, knocking on every single house in the town, and my maamu being called over to help look for me. 
Apparently I had fallen asleep reading, and several hours had passed. I was discovered when my grandmother came upstairs to do wuzu for maghrib prayer.
The second time I hid under our car and was busy reading my book. Again there was panic and people were sent all over the place. I came out on my own when I thought I heard my phuphu’s voice. It wasn’t phuphu and I did regret coming out too soon and not being able to finish my book. :sid:
re: Lost Your Child…For a Little While…?
Thanks for sharing all your stories folks. As heart-stopping as the stories are, at least someone realized in each case that the child was missing; most within a few seconds or minutes. How did this woman not know where her child was for 45 minutes???
And the precautions are all great too.
But this incident really taught me how easy it is to walk off with a child. Having the phone number written on them and sealed with a liquid bandaid or even ID bracelets or chips are great but only for those incidents where the person that has taken the child is willing to return him/her. What if someone in the parking lot had grabbed the child, locked him in a car and taken off? What then?
re: Lost Your Child…For a Little While…?
Muzna that woman sounds like phony mother.
re: Lost Your Child…For a Little While…?
I am way too overprotective and paranoid so it has not happened to me yet and I hope it never does! I would just die from the panic if this happened.
re: Lost Your Child…For a Little While…?
There is an Afghani family that cannot keep track of their children. Three times I have returned their 2 year old toddler to their home, each time it was close to Maghrib time, and the family was unaware the child had left the house.
I can’t believe upon returning the child, the mother or father with very vacant, empty eyes would say in very limited English “Yes, yes’ thank you”. Not in the least bit concerned or worried.
After the third time, I took a Pashtoh/Afghani speaking bro/sis from the masjid to speak with the family. In very strong words we told them, if we saw their children unsupervised outside at any time, the police would be called and their children could be taken away from them as too many people had seen these children outside, or at the neighbourhood park alone , and just wondering around.
Thankfully it worked.
re: Lost Your Child…For a Little While…?
This is not really a story about a kid being lost but I think it still counts. I Had a patient once who was two years old. His parents were having a party at their home and had many people over. The mom was busy cooking and the guests were chatting. The two year old wandered outside into the backyard and no one noticed. When the mom started looking for the kid, she found him in the pool. He was brain dead and the parents wanted to keep him on the ventilator. They did not want to take care of him at home though and were sending him on the ventilator to a long-term care facility. The mom showed me videos of him being such an adorable and fun loving toddler who loved playing with the family dog.
Once, I took my sister shopping with me. She is not well mentally and did not want to come out of the car. I was annoyed and decided to walk to the store as she would always follow us. When I turned around, she was not behind me so I went back to the car and I could not find her!!! I called the cops and frantically started looking for her. The cops found her crossing the street. I have since then never taken my eyes off of a person or kid that I am responsible for. All these scenarios were going though my head and I was crying my eyes out. I was 16 at the time and self-absorbed. I have learned since then.
re: Lost Your Child…For a Little While…?
when we were young, in crowded places, our mom literally had us hold an end of her dopatta to follow her if she was holding the hand of another. we were never allowed to let go of the dopatta
re: Lost Your Child…For a Little While…?
I lost her for a minute at JCP. One second she was standing next to me and the next she was gone. I was looking frantically and asked her nearest sales associate if she saw my daughter and tears started coming down as I uttered those words. I saw two tiny feet in a clothing rack nearby and I literally wanted to go all Bollywood MAA on her and slap her and kiss her at the same time. It was about the scariest moment and I honestly cannot understand how anyone can ever try to kidnap kids. You don’t just take a kid, you literally take every ounce of zindagi from that child’s family.
I have now taught them to find a mom with kids if they are ever lost and then a police officer. Never get in a car with anyone. Only a family member will ever tell you if mama and baba are hurt so never go anywhere with someone if they tell you they will bring you to us.
i have twice found two lost kids, one at ICNA where the mother was so busy she didn’t know she lost her child. The boy was 2 and only knew his name and amma pappa. I walked around and found her nearby and she was incredibly rude when i gave her child back. She claimed she knew he was idhar udhar and goes back to looking at the jewelry. Wanted to hurt her. Another time it was at the airport before I got married. Found the parents in tears and then it was the four of us weeping.
re: Lost Your Child…For a Little While…?
Lol, when you live somewhere where all the women wear black Abayas, it’s very easy for a kid to follow another woman quite a ways before realizing she’s not your mommy. 
re: Lost Your Child…For a Little While…?
THIS is what burns my blood.
May Allah keep all our children safe from any sort of harm but sometimes these types of parents need a wake-up call.