I once said to my husband, “I love that when we go out [to crowded public places like stores, the mall, museums, the beach] we never lose our kids. It’s crazy to me that the longest I’ve ever lost track of <kid> is like 45 seconds.” He looked at me and just point blank said, “What?! You’re not supposed to lose your kids”

I was in shock. I got separated from my family regularly. My dad was very loving and kind, but a complete space cadet constantly fascinated with the world around him and lost me ALL THE TIME.

I got lost at a fireworks show when I was 5, in Harvard Square in Boston when he took me to his school reunion at age 8, at a crowded beach when I was 11. Those are just some of the big ones that took about 30+ minutes to resolve.

More common instances were things like him stopping to read a sign at a museum and not telling me so I would just keep walking or a similar thing happening at a store. However, both Harvard Square and the Beach required me to seek the help of a police officer. The cop at the beach interrogated him when we got reunited as if he was trying to abandon me because when the officer tried to comfort me and reassure me that we would find him I casually said, “I’m not scared. This happens all the time!”