Dylan and I were almost to Bridgeview park (across the river from Oak Grove School) when he fell asleep. Rather than running home I opted to park the stroller and let him nap in the park while I juggled and wrote in my notebook for an hour or so. Naptime is often so strongly needed yet fragile in its implementation. Trying to transfer a sleeping thirty pound human being from a stroller to a toddler bed is apt to draw a penalty flag; Loss of Naptime, repeat afternoon meltdown.

While Dylan napped in the shade in his jogger stroller (with a canopy augmented by my shirt for further sun protection) I played and enjoyed the beautiful day. I wandered near the pond and thought about how excited my boy would be to wake up and realize we were still out playing. Making sure to maintain a sightline in case he should awaken, it never occurred to me that others may have viewed the napping child and thought something sinister was going on.

Once Crackerface woke up, he was a bit ornery despite the slides and swings. A car approached and a policewoman exited the vehicle. I was unsure of what was going on and full protective mode kicked in as I removed Dylan from the swing and greeted the officer. She explained that they received a report of an abandoned infant in the park, and wondered how long I had been here. I told the policewoman that I was disappointed that someone had called them in, but that I understood what had happened. She wanted to know where I was while the boy slept and I showed her and assured her that I was vigilant the entire time he rested. I told her I could understand why someone would be concerned if their line of sight included an unattended stroller with no parent beside it.

Although I was a bit shaken by the incident, it is good to know that others are keeping watch over the well being of our vulnerable children. They say it takes a village to raise a child, perhaps my mystery protector was physically unable to check on the welfare of the child herself and called the police to ensure that the baby was safe.

I will be more careful the next time I leave Dylan parked in the shade so I don’t cause unneeded worry. Thanks for your wakeup call!