Friday, February 19, 2010

STS Disclaimer

STS as stated in my last post is Shakin Twitchin Syndrome. Which I described as: "Its symptoms include the twitch I get above my left eye when I want to shake some sense into my children!"

I realized for purposes of legal matters I needed to put a disclaimer out there lest you sue me.
Therefore, I do hereby declare (legal jargon) I , Joytobe, do not condone, practice, participate in or suggest anything to anyone that they should or I should condone, practice, participate in or suggest you or I shake your or my children. Basically I'm saying I don't shake my children. And don't shake your children.

On a much more serious note. It was not until an hour after my post while driving in my car that I thought about Shaken Baby Syndrome. I hope you all know it was not my intention to make light of this tragic abuse of babies.

Why all of this talk of STS?

I lost my daughter yesterday! I know all parents out there have felt the air leave them when they suddenly realize they cannot find their child. It is horrific. Thank God I did find her.

It started out calmly and slowly. You know...poke my head out the door. Don't see her. Okay she plays in the neighbors back yards and she was playing with two other kids. Go back inside. Getting ready to leave for her Karate. Watch the window a little to see if she appears. hmmm. Nope Put my shoes on, go outside, survey the neighborhood. Still no sight of her. Usually if I can't see her and the other kids playing I can hear them. Nope - nothing - totally quiet.

Start calling her name. Several times now. Each time the pitch in my voice getting a little higher and louder. Okay starting to panic a little. Thinking well she could be across the street in the back yard at the edge of the woods and can't hear me. Walk over. Nope. Walk to the end of the street. Nope. Walk through all of the back yards. Nope. Now the heart is racing. Go to the kids house she had been playing with hoping they went inside and she forgot to call me. Nope they are not there. That mom starts looking for them. I hear kids sledding pretty far away. She knows she can't leave our street but what if just maybe. I hop in my car, drive over there. Hoping she is there but I'm going ground her forever if she is. Nope not there. Call all the neighbors, nobody has seen her! As I am looking I'm talking to my husband on my cell phone almost crying. Screaming her name at the edge of the woods for the third time. I am about 1 minute from calling the police.

Then I see way back as far as my eye can see in the woods something moving.

I start yelling and screaming. Lo and behold three kids, including mine, start running towards me.

Now this child has been told to never go into these woods. I mean a three syllable "nuh-e-ver". People have spotted coyote and wolves in the neighborhood with pictures to prove it. A cougar was also spotted in our town with very large paw prints measured by wildlife specialist. There were photos in the newspaper of our neighborhood coyote. I can hear them sometimes at night. I have also heard gunshots in these woods from deer hunters.

She comes out of the woods all excited and flushed telling me about the cool fort they found. I got steam rolling out of my ears. I want to hug and spank her at the same time. (I don't spank by the way, that is just me. Don't want to open up that debate right now. Maybe later.) Come to figure out these kids found a deer hunting stand and climbed up in the tree to check it out. Needless to say she got an earful, two earfuls. I couldn't stop myself from crying and yelling.

After that breathless 20 minutes and the 45 minute lecture, I sat by myself. I couldn't help but think of the parents who don't find their children. I prayed for peace for them. The tears flowed.

As I wiped my eyes, my left eye started twitchin. And it hasn't stopped since.

Joytobe

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