Well, this morning was quite exciting in our neighborhood when a firetruck came rolling through, lights flashing. It was a cold morning this morning, so while loading Gabriel in the car, I shut the door, apparently with my set of only functioning keys. While reaching to load up Maggie, Gabriel clicked the lock button and locked himself inside. A moment of panic set in, when I realized I had an extra set in my purse on the ground beside me. Phew! Always thinking, Stephanie. Like a good mother. Always prepared. Well, I reached in and pulled them out only to find the battery dead. I clicked and clicked, but nothing happened.
Well, I said to myself, surely if he locked himself in, we can find a way to get him to unlock the door, right? At first Gabriel thought this was all quite funny. He could buckle himself in my seat, pretend to drive away. He could take off his coat if he wanted to and he did right in front of me in a showy display of independence. Haha. Freedom! I coaxed and coaxed him to try to unlock the door, open the handle, etc. which to his credit he tried to do, but couldn't seem to figure the unlock part out on his own. His excitement turned to eagerness to help before panic and then utter despair when he realized he was really and truly stuck and there wasn't anything I could do.
I called around trying to find a tow company close to us, but most were too far away and at this point, at what felt like -10C at 9am in the morning, Gabriel was starting to get really upset and cold. He was blowing on his little fingers and sucking on them trying to keep them warm. Meanwhile, Magdalene, in my arms was also getting cold and restless and upset. I remember my friend Lucy, that time this past summer when her twins got locked in the car, had called the fire department. I knew they were close to us and could arrive quickly.
One dead key battery, several attempts at coaxing, a call to husband who came rushing home, a few phone calls to various tow companies, the car dealership and CAA (where we are not members), thirty minutes in the cold, one phone call to the fire department, and one smashed back window later.... Gabriel was retrieved from the car.
He was definitely upset and scared, but the moment that window smashed and he saw the firemen and firetruck, the cool factor definitely set in. The firemen were very understanding. Apparently this is some rite of passage for two-years-olds-turning-three? We were all quite thankful for the firemen who then let us climb inside the truck to peek around, gave Gabriel a stuffed Dalmatian puppy and took our picture. Lucy's twins even stopped by to check it out, remembering fondly their locked-in-the-car-adventure as well. It made me feel better that even such a sensible and put-together mother, like my friend Lucy, could make a simple mistake like locking her children in the car too.
It was a scary (and expensive) lesson to learn. And such an easy mistake to make. But all was well after a few cuddles and some hot chocolate. Well, Gabriel will live to tell the tale of the day his mother locked him in the car on a cold morning in November. But at least we are all safe and sound! And smiling nonetheless.
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