vw, if you are around, feel free to e mail me. Not really my area but I'd be happy to do what I can.

ION, the last few days when I've been out driving around while Ellie is at preschool, I keep having this feeling that I've forgotten a child somewhere. I'm pretty sure it's because I can see her empty car seat out of the corner of my eye, but it's still very disturbing.

Stephanie, insent. NO rush.

ION, the last few days when I've been out driving around while Ellie is at preschool, I keep having this feeling that I've forgotten a child somewhere. I'm pretty sure it's because I can see her empty car seat out of the corner of my eye, but it's still very disturbing.

Oh, that is very disturbing. Yuck.

ION, the last few days when I've been out driving around while Ellie is at preschool, I keep having this feeling that I've forgotten a child somewhere. I'm pretty sure it's because I can see her empty car seat out of the corner of my eye, but it's still very disturbing.

I did this, the first few times we dropped wee Emeline at her first day-care. I'd have these moments of "JESUS FUCK! I FORGOT THE BABY!!" and my heart would stop and my sphincter would start to unclench and then I'd remember she was safe in the hands of professionals.

And then five minutes later, I'd do it again.

I've been having dreams the past few nights where I'm out and about and I realize it's been several hours and I've left Dylan home alone. For some reason it's usually in my parents' house. Creepy as fuck.

I've also been waking up with excruciating back pain. Probably not unrelated to the random anxiety dreams.

You know what I love most about Chinese food for dinner? Leftover Chinese food for breakfast! Mmmmm...

I think forgotten child fear is one of the primal fears of parents. The rest of us just have the fear we'll forget something important. I can easily imagine the unconscious self doing a quick accounting and alerting the conscious.

I think it's a good fear. Sadly, every couple of years we read about parents who apparently do not have it. This of course, only reinforces the fear in the rest of society.

All in all, I think it's a natural parental reaction and you have passed the test.

And then there is the flip side. Typically CJ walks home from school and hits the front door about 3:05. I have my work schedule set such that I hit the door about the same time.

On Monday, I got home and went straight into house clean/declutter mode. About 3:15 my mom and I look at eachother and said "where is boy". Shrug. Work, work, work...3:25 "no boy"? Oh yeah, he had a field trip and would be home late. He walked in the door about 4:00.

It REALLY should not take that long for me to be concerned and then remember he will be home late.

Maybe I blocked the field trip out - he got to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Jealous.

The rest of us just have the fear we'll forget something important.

Occasionally I dream that I have a child... and I've forgotten it. It's pretty deep-set. It does mean that when I hear about someone who's actually done it I feel terrible for them -- because I've felt myself doing it in my dreams, if you see what I mean.

Emily, I was going to e-mail you, but since you're here, I'll just post it here...

GM called back and made suggestions not only to the FINAL transcript that has already been turned in, but to the content of something I wrote to frame the transcript as an introduction in my blog. Apparently, I wasn't clear enough about the hope and faith and trust I put in God. It was a nice lecture. I started to explain about audience and stopped myself.

Oy.

Did you explain about the turned-in-edness of it? I say again: oy.