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Mother’s Intuition in Action!

pablo-green-scooter

Next month, my son Pablo will turn ten. Like many kids with autism, he has occasionally wandered, when something has truly caught his interest. During his early elementary school years, he loved to run along the fence that bordered the school playground. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the playground fence, it was the privacy fence running along the back of the houses near the school – and it went on and on and ON. He would take off and run alongside that fence and completely disappear from sight, in what seemed like the blink of an eye. I can’t tell you how many times I ran after him, while begging other playground moms to keep an eye on the three girls for a moment. Luckily, Pablo’s developed a little more impulse control over the years, and he hasn’t been much of a wanderer lately – or so I thought.

I needed to make a big shopping trip this week. After making my giant list and compiling my fat stack of coupons, I headed out, and left my teenager in charge of the little ones. I took a head count before I left, and didn’t see Pablo. My little girls assured me he was just outside riding his scooter. Not unusual. We live on a cul-de-sac near a small pocket park, and all of the kids regularly ride their scooters and bikes all around, popping in and out of people’s houses, since we have a street full of friends. Off I went.

As I was driving to the store, I was suddenly hit with the worst feeling of dread I’ve ever experienced. I’ve had times where I felt like something wasn’t right, where things were just a little “off” – and this was nothing like that. That feeling you get in your chest and stomach when you get horrible news, when you can’t catch your breath for a moment, when you audibly gasp – that’s the feeling I had. It scared me to death. I pulled over and turned around, and headed straight back home.

“Where is Pablo?” I asked Kayley, who was surprised to see me back already. We glanced around, called for him, poked our heads into all his usual hangout places. Over the next fifteen minutes, I searched. I called every neighbor. I circled the block. No Pablo. I had a houseful of kids, between my three girls and the neighbor kids who were over to play, but no Pablo. The other kids jumped onto their bikes and headed out to track him down. My little heroes.

Moments later, I heard Mallory’s sweet voice yell for me, “I found him!” Holy cats, you guys. The relief that washed over me was overwhelming. Then, they appeared from around the bend – Mallory on her bike and Pablo on his electric scooter. Even from a block away, I could see on his face that he knew he was in trouble! “I’m sorry, Mom!” As they approached me, I burst into tears. Pablo threw his arms around me and started to sob. “I’m so sorry, Mommy!” I told him I was moments away from calling the police. He cried harder. “But I don’t want to go to jail!” Oh, Pablo.

Turns out, Pablo has been spending a lot of time on Google Maps – which isn’t actually unusual for him – and he’s been memorizing all the routes in the neighborhood to get to the places he likes to go. I don’t think he truly INTENDED to hop on the bike path and head all the way down to the BIG park, which is more than half a mile from our house – but he got pretty far away in a hurry on his electric scooter! And practically gave me a heart attack in the process. Naturally, we had another long talk about boundaries and rules, and I’m crossing all my fingers that this doesn’t happen again any time soon. Still, I’m looking into getting some sort of tracking device for Pablo, just in case my intuition doesn’t kick in next time! If you have any tips for me, I’m all ears.

What are your rules for your children, when it comes to playing in the neighborhood? Do you allow your kids to visit nearby parks without you?

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Hey, it’s Laura

hi lauraartist • maker • etsy seller • adhd • autism mama of 4 teenagers (2 sets of twins!) •  she/her

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artist • sticker maker • etsy seller • autism mama of 5 • she/her • #ally #blm

Laura Neiman
Friday was such a splendid day! My honey took the Friday was such a splendid day! My honey took the day off work and we went to brunch at a cafe in Castle Rock, hit a couple of awesome thrift stores, and met some friends for beers at @burlybrewing ... definitely not the worst Friday I’ve ever had. ❤️🍺
Outfitted a whole Starbies team with pronoun pins! Outfitted a whole Starbies team with pronoun pins! Get yours at Etsy.com/shop/dudethatssodope ❤️

#Repost @canton2fordrd (@get_repost)
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New pronoun pins for all our baristas! 
We strive to be inclusive and welcoming to everyone! 
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Thank you @dudethatssodope for making such beautiful pins for the team!
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#tobeapartner #starbucks #starbuckspartner #pronouns #inclusion #inclusionmatters #hehim #theythem #sheher #shethey #hethey
It’s getting real, you guys! These babies are ne It’s getting real, you guys! These babies are nearly grown and almost ready to graduate. I love seeing all the seniors and their plans for next year on @grandviewseniors2021 - so proud of all these kids!
Good morning! I just got a new phone! Never have I Good morning! I just got a new phone! Never have I felt like more of an old lady than now, having to get my kids to teach me how to use an iPhone. I’ve always been an Android girl, but I need to be able to FaceTime with @m.g.neiman when she heads off to @unc_colorado in just a few short months! Also holy cats, this camera is dope. Can’t wait to take alllll new product pictures!
My kids got me this darling pigeon planter for Chr My kids got me this darling pigeon planter for Christmas and I fiiiiinally planted a tiny little succulent in it! It's so cute; I smile every time I see it. This is my first succulent! Are they hard to keep alive? 🌿
#cuteplants #succulentnewbie #pigeonlove
Blowin up like you thought I would :: Call the cri Blowin up like you thought I would :: Call the crib, same number, same hood, it's all good...... #notoriousbig #bigpoppa #biggiecandle #biggiesmalls
This sticker was inspired by the extensive collect This sticker was inspired by the extensive collection of pink mugs on my coffee bar and the general morning attitude at my house. It would look great on a laptop or water bottle, so pick one up, won't you? ☕
NEW STICKER!📱 #stickershop #donttalktome #snark NEW STICKER!📱
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