A Sad Story...

Recently I've heard of a true story which happened to my friend's sister's colleague. This colleague went on a holiday trip to China with her family - hubby and 2 sons (1 baby and 1 kid). At a shopping mall, the kid wanted to go toilet, so the parents waited outside the toilet while he went in.

After a long time, he never came out of the toilet. So the daddy went in one round to look for him but couldn't find him. Then the mom went in to look but couldn't find him either. Exasperated, a stranger approached them and offered help to carry the baby so that both of them could go into the toilet to look for the son.

When they came out, the stranger with their baby is no longer there. And they never found their son either. They used up all their savings to extend their stay in China while looking for their two sons but to no avail. The mother couldn't believe how she could have made the same mistake twice in the same day and lost both her sons.

This is a very sad and shocking story. I do not what to elaborate further what happened to the parents but could only pray that they will find their kids someday and hope their kids are ok. How did the kid went missing in the toilet? Theory has it that the kid was put unconscious while being alone in the toilet, changed his clothes, worn a cap and carried out unnoticed. And if it's a girl, they will probably shave her hair off and wear a cap and carried out like a boy.

I have to say, this story always brought tears to my eyes everytime I think about it. As I held my baby in my arms, I remind myself how fragile and innocent our kids are. They need our protection and we need to be very mindful at all times where they are. It could just take a split second to lose your child while you are engrossed in something.

When I told this story to my sister and sister in law, it affected them very much as well that they couldn't sleep well. I guess being a mother, we all could understand how much pain it is to lose a child, let alone two in one day.

So, parents out there, please be extra careful with your kids wherever you are, especially in a mall. It only take seconds to lose sight of your kid. And no matter how old your kids are, they are never too old to be accompanied by an adult to the toilet, even if they think this is totally uncool.