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Home › Articles › Fiction/Opinion/Essays › Lessons from a Locked Car

Lessons from a Locked Car

By Alene S. Sen

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Since becoming a stay-at-home mom, shopping with my toddler has turned into a battle for sanity versus insanity and balancing all the unpredictable surprises in between. On one particular trip to the grocery store, I learned the true meaning of what so many veteran parents have repeatedly advised me: "Don't underestimate your child."

That day was extremely stressful. Mitchell was fussy from the start and his bad mood was prevalent throughout our shopping experience. The high-ceilinged supermarket resonated with Mitchell's persistent wailing, and his constant attempts to stand up on the shopping cart seat made our trek to the cashier a difficult one.

By the time we got to the car, Mitchell was swerving his body left and right and back and forth and stamping his feet in mid-air as he struggled and demanded to be let out of the cart. I hesitated to let him out for fear he would walk out in front of oncoming cars and leaving him in the cart unsupervised was not an option. I contemplated strapping him into the car seat, but since I had exhausted all my patience and was in no mood to hear further whining and crying, I decided against it. I ended up placing him in the driver's seat so he could amuse himself by pretending he was driving. I shut the driver's door so he wouldn't fall out while I began emptying the cart.

It was a windy day -- windy enough to force the trunk and back doors shut solid. When the back door went thump before me, my eyes immediately focused in on the power lock. It was down. Mitchell had accidentally locked all the doors from the driver's side. For a few seconds, my mind went blank as if waiting for a director to shout, "Cut!" but this was no film. Something I thought only happened in the movies and to other people was happening to me. What seemed impossible was possible. My son was locked in the car.

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