My PSA.

Now that it's been over a week and a half, I think I can tell you this story without emotionally traumatizing myself... again...

First of all, let me just say that I am pregnant. I am not blaming this on my son, per se, but pregnancy brain is a real thing y'all. Further, I'm not really sure I ever regained my normal cognitive processes after Harper was born. Even so, I never thought this would happen to me. I mean I'm a pretty together person; not very forgetful or absent-mined. All of that to say...

I locked my daughter in my car.

I didn't forget about her. I just didn't realize that the doors were locked when I threw my keys in the diaper bag and shut my door. Panic (in my head) ensued. Did I mention my phone was in the car, too? I was at the doctor's office (thankfully!) so there were a myriad of receptionists, nurses, and security guards/police officers to help me. Harper was the calm one in all of this. Playing peek-a-boo, waving at nurses, and trying to take her shoes off.  She whined one time in the whole 25 minutes she was looking at us through the window. When pop-a-lock, my hero, came the door was opened in seconds.  S/O to those guys! It used to take me the better part of an hour to break into my car. Anyway, Harper was completely fine (other than the fact that she had to have her temperature taken... rectally) and got apple juice for the first time since we were all worried about her.

So, my Public Service Announcement is this. Invest in the magnetic hide-a-key for your car, people!! You may never have a brain blitz as bad as mine, but wouldn't it be nice knowing that if you did there is a back up safety feature? And for those wondering, I NEVER leave my keys in the car anymore. If I can avoid those hours and days of feeling like the worst mother in world by keeping my keys in my pocket, then heck yes I'm going to do that.

And it's all about perspective. At the end of a really hard day, I can say that at least I didn't lock my kid in the car today.


*disclaimer*I am in no way trying to make light of the tragedy of children forgotten in the car. If you are a mother, father, grandparent, or ever have kids in your car for any reason, please check the back seat before you leave the car!