Running through the mall...

Screaming Jacob's name...

Went to the mall with my mom and Jimmy's therapist for a community outing. While we were attempting to get Jimmy to use the bathroom, my mom sat outside with Jacob. It's a small bathroom - he got out in front of her and she was blocked in by his stroller. He took off at a run and went after him. The chase began on the lower level of the mall and ended on the upper level on the opposite side of it. And it didn't end with his capture either... my mom called me to tell me that she had lost sight of him and he was gone. I ran to the information desk, requested a security guard and took off running in the direction where he had last been seen.

I have never felt so helpless as I did running through the mall, yelling the name of my missing child. I think it was true terror. Apparently someone caught and returned him to my mother. She actually spanked him for his trouble. He turned and smiled at her. When she found me with him in tow, I started sobbing and yelling at him. Only then did he realize that he was in big trouble. It was the worst experience of my life, by far...

Needless to say, he isn't going to the mall again any time soon.