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A 2-year-old Palo Alto girl who managed to walk out of her parents’ home while her father was sleeping Sunday morning did what she often does, which was to go to nearby Heritage Park at Waverley Street and Homer Avenue to play. (View the press release)
People saw the unattended toddler and called police, who were then informed by neighbors of where the girl lived, Palo Alto Police Agent Dan Ryan said.
The girl was safely returned home where her sleeping father “was stunned by the news,” Ryan said. The father had worked a night shift and the girl’s mother had gone to church.
— Don Kazak
By
— Don Kazak
By
— Don Kazak
By
My son figured out how to unlock our door from the inside when he was about 19 months old. I had to replace the lock with a “double cylinder” type that is keyed on both sides. Then, I just hang the key right by the door, out of child-reach. Of course, my son had to actually get out of the house first to make me take this measure in he first place.
I sympathize with this father – raising kids so tough. You need about 5 cloned copies of yourself to cover every possibility. I’m just glad things worked out. Its nice to know we have good observant, helpful neighbors!
I have huge sympathy for the Dad, this moment will haunt him for the rest of his life.
Many years ago I was shopping at Baby News on University Avenue and put my son down next to me to pay the bill. A moment later I looked down, he was gone, gone where? I rushed to the open door of the shop and there he was in the middle of traffic on University Avenue. I rushed out into the traffic and retrieved him.
A woman rolled down the window of her car and chastised me up one side and down the other!! That moment has stayed with me for the rest of my life, my son is now 39!! After that I never took my little son out again without a harness and tether.
Years ago I left the kitchen to change a diaper on daughter #1 who had, unknown to me, unhooked the screen on the kitchen door. The crawling baby went out and sat in the middle of Walter Hays. A motorist saw her, retrieved her, and brought her, yelling at me for carelessness, into the house. Yes, you need ten eyes, two heads, and be cloned to raise kids. As Art Linkletter said, Kids will say and do the darndest things.
I also have retrieved a child who was playing in the street with her front door open and no parents around. Instead of chastising the harried mom who thought an elderly neighbor was watching her daughter, I sympathized as I remembered how hard those early years were.
Now that my kids are teens I hope my friends, teachers, neighbors & Palo Alto community will alert me to any dangers they see.
It takes a village. Let us all do our part.
[Post removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]