As a parent, I feel terrified on a regular basis. I typically spend about 95% of my time making sure no one accidentally kills themselves or destroys our house. Today it was someone else’s kid who got my mommy senses all riled up.

Fridays are glorious because my boss lets me work from home and both of my kids are in daycare. In other words, it’s a magical day (the only actual time I have to myself)…even though I’m working, I appreciate the temporary peace. I get to skulk around my house all day in jammies and no makeup. I love it. So here I am, sitting on my couch, fiddling around in Excel for a work project (and – cone of silence – enjoying an adult beverage), when I hear someone calling out a name.

it was coming from the street out in front of my house. Assuming the person was searching for a wayward pet, I didn’t think much of it. All of a sudden, I hear, “can anybody help me?!“. This, got my attention.

My mind referenced an undergrad psych class long ago where I learned that in general, people don’t help because they always assume someone else will – otherwise known as the “bystander effect”. I wasn’t going to let that happen so I popped my head out the door and asked him what was the matter.

“I can’t find my little sister…”

Poor kid was almost in tears. This made me think about my older son and how he would feel if he lost his little brother. So I asked for his name, what happened and when was the last time he saw her. They were on there way home from school on their bikes – he got ahead of her and when he got to the house she was gone. We headed in the direction he saw her last, which was south of my house. I searched for a couple of minutes, asking those I saw if they had seen a little girl on a red bike.

No sign of little sister. I was getting worried – someone could have easily driven up beside her and snatched her up. I decided it was time to call 911 – I’ve seen way too many true crime shows that don’t end well when kids disappear. I’m 32 years old, but I still feel like a kid in these kind of situations…like isn’t there a real adult around? So I helped the boy talk to the dispatcher while he stood by me trying to share details about the last place he saw her, what she was wearing, etc. While we were still on the phone with the police, the boy and I headed towards his house to keep looking.

So we walk down the street together, terrified little boy and random neighbor lady. We eventually arrive at the kids’ house and what do we see? A little red bike parked inside the garage. His sister ended up coming back to the house while brother was out looking for her. A police officer arrived promptly, asked us questions and all ended well. I was informed that they were just about to send out the search helicopter. Aside from nearly having a heart attack, I was glad I happened to be home today. And coming from a law enforcement family I appreciated how quickly our local PD responded.

Lesson of the day? I’m never letting my kids go anywhere. But seriously, I know it used to be the norm for kids to be out by themselves – going to and from school. But in today’s world, is it okay?