STRANGERS

I titled todays entry STRANGERS for one simple reason. I kept thinking all day about something that happened when Sydney was smaller. Kids are a very good judge of character. Back to that in a moment...

This has had me thinking about my own character. I always try to teach my girls about strangers and safety. But sometimes I think I may be a little too paranoid. I'm in a small town where there usually isn't alot of crime, although there has been more and more recently. But as a mother am I too paranoid that something is going to happen to one of my girls? Probably not, I think it's just a Mama thing.

I've always been taught to "treat others like you would like to be treated" and "don't judge a book by it's cover". Sometimes I think we all lose sight of these values and is it always "safe" to follow these guidelines our parents have taught us? This brings me back to the story of a shopping trip to LOWES that Sydney and I had a few years back.

Sydney is 2 years old. Thank GOD it's saturday because I have been so tired all week. Jason is working nightly 12 hour shifts that particular weekend, so when he came in I got up with Sydney so he could go to bed. I walked through the master bathroom to enter the closet and when I did, I stepped into VERY wet carpet. The water heater is behind my closet and a pipe had burst. LOWES here we come. Jason gave me a list of supplies and so here I go with my toddler to LOWES where I have no idea what I am looking for. The plan is for me to get the supplies while he tries to get a little sleep and he will fix the pipe before returning to work another 12 hour shift.

At LOWES everything is easy to find, I get what we need and head to the checkout, this is going surprisingly well. Except for the creep I just got out of line to get away from and he has now gotten behind us in another line. I'm holding Sydney and trying not to look at him because he is making me feel very uncomfortable to say the least. WOW he should have been a character in Wrong Turn. Camo hat, plaid shirt, missing a couple of teeth and the rest are rotten. He wasn't the cleanest person, I knew he had to be a "crack head" for sure. Sydney kept waving at him and talking to him and he was talking to her. I tried to get her attention on something else, I gave him a smile, no need to be rude. I paid and got out of there really quick. We got to the car and I always put my keys in the front seat so I was sure not to lock the doors or anything like that with the baby in the car. I put the keys in the front and strap Sydney in the car seat, diaper bag with cell phone is in front of Sydney's seat in the floor. Everything is good to go so I quickly shut the door. I go around to the drivers side and the door is locked! When I was in a hurry to toss the keys something hit the button to lock the doors, exactly what I was trying to avoid! The man in the car behind me was leaving, I asked if he had a cell I could use because I needed to get Jason to come and unlock my car. He just looked at me like a fool, never spoke and left...what an ass, do you not see this baby locked in the car? I can't leave the car, my baby is in there...no one would help me! Did I mention it was like August or September? It wasn't too hot, about 10am, but then as if I needed anything else to happen, it started pouring rain, it's getting hot in the car and the baby is starting to sweat...

Right when I am about to lose my mind and freak out who shows up? Mr. Wrong Turn! He saw me from across the parking lot and came to help me! He gave me his cell to call Jason and told me to get in the truck. It was raining so hard, I could barely see her in the car when I was standing outside. He parked behind my car so I could be close to the baby and let me call Jason about 100 times until I got him on the phone! His cell phone was dying! Meanwhile, his wife called, cursing him for everything he was worth, wanting to know where he was and when he would be home. He asked me not to say anything because if his wife heard me she would swear he was having an affair! Well, the best part of this story is that he came from 2 hours away to get a part he needed. His LOWES salesperson told him that the closest place that had what he needed was in Lumberton and that there were 5 available. There were ZERO and he ended up getting something that he could have gotten from home. He was the only person that would help me that day. I felt horrible about the thoughts about him that has passed through my mind and how I had judged him. He was my hero that day and I could not thank him enough! My mom got there in just a few minutes and I got Sydney from the car. She was scared, sweaty and crying so hard.
All in all, I am trying not to judge people by their appearance, they can't help the way they look!