Have you ever been in a store and lost a child? Well, apparently, if you are in Target and happen to casually mention to the fitting room lady that you can't find your 2-year-old she jumps on the intercom and announces to the holiday shoppers that "We have a CODE YELLOW, people. I REPEAT: CODE YELLOW. Brown hair, brown eyes, grey sweatshirt." Like from some freaky movie - like robots suddenly switched to the "on" position - red shirts snap to attention and start scouring the isles for a potentially kidnapped child. And then I realize I really CAN'T find Oscar. Not only can't I see him, I cannot HEAR him. Now that is a scary non-sound. Motherly instincts kick in... I pick up my 4-year-old and book-it to the front of the store. He likes the candy isles. And there he is ... not walking ... but running as fast as he can with that little limp he has going on (he hurt his foot last week) and wagging his shoulders back and forth as he pumps his chubbby little arms. He's not scared. He's not crying. He is certainly not concerned about where I might have gone. He's looking for adventure. He is way too independent for a 2-year-old.
Code Yellow was cancelled, but not before the red-shirted employee who reached my little "lost" boy at the same moment escorted me and my presumed child back to the fitting room lady to verify that Yes, Indeed I was the mother of said missing child. And of course Oscar wasn't wearing the grey sweatshirt as I thought he was. He had taken it off and put it in the cart. Whoa. Was that a long walk. Of course Oscar squirmed and cried in my arms as if he had never seen me before in his life. And I imagined if a real kidnapper would try and soothe my child in the same calming tone I was attempting to use.
Later I thought of the first "Code Yellow" of my mothering career. It, too, was in a Target (ok, so I shop there a lot) and Waverly was probably 3. And suddenly she was gone. I start into panic mode, searching the isles, until I hear over the loud speaker, "Sarah Giles, please come pick up your daughter Beverly at Customer Service." Apparently I was the one who was lost.
9 comments:
I'm glad you found Oscar safe and sound being his cute 2-year-old self. Funny--yesterday (or was it the day before?) I was in Target and I heard, "Attention, Target employees, we have a code yellow. Code yellow. COLD YELLOW. Attention, Target employees, we have a cold yellow. Cold yellow. COLD YELLOW." Yes, they really said it 6 times. And then 6 more times to cancel the code yellow, code yellow, code yellow. Everyone got the message and then some. But the event turned frightening when the security guard, all dressed up in her police-ish security best, turned to another employee after it had been cancelled 6 times and asked, "What is code yellow?" Um, the security guard didn't know!! I fear for losing any child in that Target when that security guard is on duty.
When I read your post, I was pleasantly impressed with Target's readiness. then I read Emily's comment. sigh
Glad all are safe and well. Happy Holidays!
I'm a dork. I just reread what I wrote and I meant CODE YELLOW, not COLD YELLOW. That's like when you say something so many times, it becomes meaningless. My fingers did that typing. Attention, Target Team Members, your security guard probably doesn't know what a cold yellow is, either. That reminds me, I've got to go to Target and get some more gifts. . .
At least you can be grateful that it was a code yellow and not a code brown...we all know how embarrassing those can be.
I haven't ever had a CODE YELLOW experience. But don't think that I haven't TRIED.... ;)
You have my sympathies. In this part of the country it's called "Code Adam." I was at one point the queen of "Code Adam." A couple of stores would start warming up their PA system as soon as they saw me coming, because they knew I would lose at least one of my children (and I would always get it wrong when they asked was I was wearing) while shopping. But my favorite experience was when the customer service lady told me that unlike my other children who wandered aimlessly through the store not even realizing they were "lost," this particular child went right to the service desk and announced, "My Mommy is lost!"
Once in Coeur D'alene my sister lost my youngest son. The cops found him, but when my brother tried to take him they would not release my son to him because he wasn't a parent or guardian. They finally tracked me down and I reclaimed my son, but I thought it was kind of funny that the police were so willing to take my word for being the parent--no ID or anything--but not willing to return him to my brother and sister.
I can so sympathize. I lose my children in my own home. I need a PA system so I can instigate my own CODE YELLOWS...especially when I'm downstairs and I hear those kitchen chairs being dragged across the floor.
Oh, and I've never trusted the Target security guards. What exactly do they DO??
The Target security guards at our store spend a lot of time in the Taco Bell gossiping. Since they are 80 year old women, why wouldn't they. VERY SECURE!!! I haven't lost my kids yet, but I know that it is coming. I am really parinoid and won't let them out of my line of sight in the store. So far we have been lucky, but I know that it is just a matter of time before we have our own cold yellow (which, I must agree, is better then a Code Brown).
Totally entertaining post...Strangely nice to know more moms have experience the eerie Code Yellow drill. I named my whole blog because of mine;) Fun to see this on your blog, as well!
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