Panic Button

Forget caffeine. Nothing gets your heart going in the morning like a good old-fashioned panic attack. You know the kind that happens when, say, you realize you've locked the keys in the car... when it's running...

Like most cars these days, one touch of a button locks all the doors. I'm an especially careful, paranoid freak about this in the winter time when we often warm up the car. (Yes, this has happened to me before.) I always be sure I hit the unlock button before exiting the car so I am sure we can leave it running and not get locked out.

This winter, we've learned that Carter is old enough now to start the car for us on the cold mornings while Mommy and Daddy are still getting ready for work. It's not like the old days when we had to worry abouut hitting the gas just right to get the old engine going. He can just turn the key, crank the heat and come back inside the house.

This morning, he went out to start it when I was packing my lunch. A few minutes later, I was going to put my stuff in the car and come back in to get my purse. I grab the handle of the passenger side door. It won't open. I glance at the back door and see that it is locked, too. "Oh poop, poop!!" I said. (Though you know I didn't say "poop"!)

I carry my stuff back in the house, still saying "Poop!" Carter's like "What?" and I said, "The keys are locked in the car and it's running and I don't know what to do." (See, the problem is that the other set of keys are in Florida with Jim.) Carter breaks down crying immediately and keeps saying, "Mom, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

I go back out to the garage and walk around the back of the car, trying the trunk (not sure why), then the back door on the driver's side. No luck. Then, as I glance at the driver door, it looks unlocked! Could it be possible? It opens! Carter must have somehow hit the lock button while inside the car so the driver door stayed unlocked after he opened it. Whew!

Of course, my heart is still racing and Carter is still crying. I'm trying to calm us both down. Deep breaths, deep breaths. I tell Carter it's OK now. We just had a scare. It's not his fault. He was still a bit upset, though, when I dropped him off at the sitter's. It might be awhile before he volunteers to start the car for us again.

My heart was still beating a mile a minute on the drive to work. I can tell you I've never been so wide awake on a Friday morning, that's for sure. I think I'll stick with my morning cup of coffee, though, from here on out.