Being an adolescent, it’s often hard to pay attention for an extensive amount of time. You get sidetracked very easily, especially when you set out for toy store and there are millions of toys just begging to be played with.

Me being around the age of seven, my mom took me to TOYS R’ US™ to purchase a present for my younger cousin. I sprinted into the store with the biggest smile I have ever had. As I began to creep away from my mom, she halted me with the classic line, “don’t wander off!” I stayed close for about two minutes, but I soon became interested in the things around me.

The next aisle we went into was the doll aisle. The entire row seemed to be enclosed in pink. In my eyes we had just struck gold! At first glance I saw a Cabbage Patch Doll™. I t was just what I had always wanted. So I swiped it off the shelf and began fiddling with the box so I could get a good view of the whole doll. It was amazing! I had never seen such a doll in all my life! With its sparkly pink dress and good smelling scent, it had all the fixtures to become the greatest doll! I sat there playing with the doll for what seemed like only a couple minutes, had actually been ten. I turned to my mom to show her the most outstanding doll ever, and I noticed she was nowhere in sight. I frantically began searching up and down every aisle. She had vanished into thin air. At that time, I began to cry. I was so scared I would never see her again. I was lost forever. So I dashed to the front of the store, still crying, and asked a lady in a light blue vest to help me! She finally made-out what I was telling her, and got on the intercom to announce a little girl was lost. The lady calmed me down enough to stop crying and we patiently waited for my mom to claim me. A few seconds later, my mom showed up and I was so excited to see her that I sprinted to her arms.

This experience was a terrifying one for not only me, but my mom too. That day I learned to never wander off and to stay close to my parents while in public places.