A Parent's Worst Nightmare

This morning my wife woke me, saying she couldn't find our eldest daughter (5 years old) anywhere in the house.

I won't keep you in suspense: we found her, eventually.

Until we did, we looked everywhere - under beds, in closets, in the basement, in the attic, outside. We checked all the windows for signs of forced entry, and began to mildly panic. We even called the police.

After about 30 min, our second daughter (3 years old) announced she found her. She was curled up in a relatively small wicker basket in the corner of our living room where we keep some cozy blankets for couch-snuggling, and had covered herself with one of the blankets.

When I lifted it off her, she had a mischievous smile on her face; I thanked the police dispatch lady and hung up.

Wow. Did she ever get a lecture!

What a scary situation that could have been... You try not to imagine what some sicko could be doing to your kid, but that's not easy to do.

I literally thank God I don't have to live that nightmare out.