Survivors - Parenting Plights & Delights

One look at the gorgeous tiki hut below makes me think of a tropical paradise. Peaceful, relaxing, a place to hang loose. Can you believe this is someone's back yard in a suburb of Los Angeles?

What a perfect setup for Alexis to house sit for her parents last June. She and little Zack, not quite two, could walk over to visit her 90-year-old grandmother, who lived next door. And what a fun yard for a toddler to run around in.

One late afternoon, Alexis took Zack outside with her to feed the fish in the pond. When she tried to go back in the house, she discovered the door was locked. There's a gate, but it was padlocked. The key? In the house, of course, and the gate was too high to scale.

It was 4:30. She called over the fence to her grandma, but there was no response. What the heck, Alexis decided she could make do for a few hours until Joe, her husband, got off work at 7:30.

She continued to call to Grandma next door, but Grandma didn't answer. Inside the house, the landline and cell phone rang off and on. Soon dinnertime rolled around, and Zack needed to eat.

The tiki hut's shelves weren't stocked with food, just drinks. She let Zack sip a Coke and hoped it would hold him over until Daddy arrived to rescue them.

Soon Zack filled his diaper, and what a doozie! No wipes and no extra diapers, so she hosed him off and had no choice but to let him run around stark naked. He ran all over the yard, rolled in mud and dirt, laughing and having a blast. He reminded his mother of the wild boys in Lord of the Flies.

All the while the phones kept ringing and Grandma still didn't answer Alexis's calls. Joe must have worked overtime because 7:30 came and went. Then darkness fell, so Alexis found matches in the tiki hut and lit the tiki torches so they could see. She helped herself to a Mai Tai and let Zack sip more Coke.

Just when Alexis thought they'd never escape the backyard prison, Grandma arrived at 9:30 to save them. It turned out Joe had been calling and for hours. He finally called Grandma and asked her to go next door and check on Alexis and Zack.

That night they basked in the comforts of civilization, so happy they had survived their back yard adventure.

"No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap."

~ Carrie P. Snow

Have you ever been locked out? What happened?

Do you have a parenting or grandparenting memory

or another story you'd like to share? 

If you're not a parent, memories from your own childhood count, too. 

Warning: I might feature your story in a future post. 

(Names can be changed to protect the guilty!)

I'd like to thank all those who have shared their stories. 

These posts wouldn't be the same without your input.

If you don't want to leave a comment but would rather contact me by email, 

here's my address: lynkelwoohoo at yahoo dot com.