After we told the tale of Zoë's disappearance to Andrew he asked her what she was thinking, which she didn't have an answer for, so he tried a different version of the same question (you'd be surprised at how rewording the very same question can elicit a very different response).
"What was your plan?" he asked her.
"My plan," she said confidently, "Was to look both ways!"
She hadn't even made it to the intersection before she was picked up, but she was heading to the crosswalk and was intent on going home (as safely as possible, looking both ways before crossing the street). I'm sure she wasn't lost because she has walked that route so many times (at least 180 (because that's about how many times we picked Benjamin up from school last year) but in reality many more times than that) so I was wondering why she was crying.
As far I've been able to decipher, she was upset when Rachel told her she couldn't go home when she wanted to but had resigned herself to waiting. She went over to play at what my kids call "The Pirate Ship," but then she grew bored and decided she wanted someone to play with her. Rachel was busy with Alexander and Benjamin wouldn't even stop running around so she could ask him and Miriam was in a bit a bad mood and told her no quite rudely.
This was the last straw for Zoë.
She was trying to be happy and obedient by staying at the park to play but no one would play with her, so she stormed off towards home (where she knew Riley was waiting to play with her).
And then she wasabducted rescued.
It took us all weekend to tease the story out of her, but now we sort of have her point of view of the whole ordeal.
"What was your plan?" he asked her.
"My plan," she said confidently, "Was to look both ways!"
She hadn't even made it to the intersection before she was picked up, but she was heading to the crosswalk and was intent on going home (as safely as possible, looking both ways before crossing the street). I'm sure she wasn't lost because she has walked that route so many times (at least 180 (because that's about how many times we picked Benjamin up from school last year) but in reality many more times than that) so I was wondering why she was crying.
As far I've been able to decipher, she was upset when Rachel told her she couldn't go home when she wanted to but had resigned herself to waiting. She went over to play at what my kids call "The Pirate Ship," but then she grew bored and decided she wanted someone to play with her. Rachel was busy with Alexander and Benjamin wouldn't even stop running around so she could ask him and Miriam was in a bit a bad mood and told her no quite rudely.
This was the last straw for Zoë.
She was trying to be happy and obedient by staying at the park to play but no one would play with her, so she stormed off towards home (where she knew Riley was waiting to play with her).
And then she was
It took us all weekend to tease the story out of her, but now we sort of have her point of view of the whole ordeal.
In our culture, I think we so often assume that little children are less intelligent than they actually are. While a child of three lacks the vision to see how her actions might be dangerous, s/he usually has a plan that makes sense. I am sure that the would-be helper didn't even think about the possibility that Z had a plan. Or that she may have been crying because she was angry--she probably thought Z was sad and scared. I am just so glad that there was a happy ending. But the "help" given was indeed a bit annoying, and probably as poorly thought-out as Miss Z's plan to run home.
ReplyDeleteJason still remembers being 2 and thinking he knew directions and why was he is trouble for going where he knew where to go. Because he got picked up by the cops 3 times for being a little "lost" boy, that is why.
ReplyDeleteI don't doubt that he really knew the directions. Benjamin was born with an impeccable sense of direction. When we drive places he often will tell me when and where to turn (he started "taking us home" around age two). But THREE times being picked up by the cops! What a stinker Jason was! Haha!
ReplyDeleteI should start a "lost children" thread to make us all feel better about ourselves. Andrew's grandma sent me some wonderful stories about losing her children and I know my mom has some good stories as well. :D