As I type this, we are in traffic, somewhere in New Jersey on Route 1, heading north. We’ll be on the interstate soon and Richard will want to stop and fill up the tank before we drive through New York City (well, around the city…but it’s hairy all the same). If we were in the RV, we’d go out of our way, WAY out of our way, to avoid that traffic. But, it’s not too bad in the truck. Last night, we slept in Princeton, New Jersey, after driving through the town and have a very nice dinner there.

We spent last weekend visiting my sister. On our first full day there, Mason was in the backyard with Max. He was playing with his trains by the fence. The neighbor’s dog was in the other side of the fence, sniffing at Mason. Mason kept turning around, cocking his head, and saying, “What’s that noise?” It was pretty funny.

Being the overprotective mother that I always am, I didn’t want to take my eyes off him, even though the yard is fully fenced. I asked Max to keep an eye on him for a bit while I answered some email. I looked up a moment later and realized Max had come back inside. I bolted to the door and tripped over the baby gate there, falling down and hurting my wrists. My sister and mother thought that was hilarious. I didn’t. Anyway, I scrambled up and Mason was just fine.

My sister assured me he couldn’t get out. I said, “I’m worried about who can get in.” She then told me she knew all the neighbors, they weren’t home, etc. I still didn’t let down my guard. I’m used to people thinking I’m overly paranoid when it comes to my children. I was, of course, thinking about that little girl who was allegedly stolen from her bed last week. The next day, it was announced that a three-year-old was missing from his front yard. As of this writing, neither child has been found.

Two days later, during a conversation, my sister mentioned that her next door neighbor…was a convicted sex offender! It’s the same guy who owns the sniffing dog! She said she didn’t know the details but the details aren’t important to me. He’s a *convicted* sex offender!

You can bet every parent of a missing child wishes they’d been more diligent in watching their child and I will continue to be overprotective with my children, particularly when they are playing outside.

This Week’s Maxism:

Max’s vocabulary is expanding and he’s constantly asking for the definition of new words he hears.

The other day, Max asked, “What does budget mean?”

I explained earning, saving, and spending to him.

He then asked, “Well, then what does bludgeoned mean?”

Angela

P.S. REMEMBER AND WRITE ABOUT YOUR CHILDHOOD USING MEMORY TRIGGERS! It’s fun and it really does work! My next class starts IN TWO WEEKS! Each class is limited to 15 students so sign up today! Remember, Write and Publish Your Life Story – https://www.writersweekly.com/wwu/courses/memories.html