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Failure to Launch
Our 10-year-old son was delayed on a plane alone for hours. In the summer of 2001 (before cellphones were commonplace), we sent our son Connor to visit my parents in Connecticut, and we watched from the gate as he boarded the airplane. We left once they taxied away from the gate, thinking everything was on schedule. Hours later, my mother called asking us where Connor was. The plane had sat on the tarmac for three hours and we didn’t know it! He was happy as can be though—luckily, they took good care of him in first class. —Eric, Ballwin
Sunrise, Sunset
We almost got stranded in a national park at night. When my kids were 3 and 5 years old, we were in Santa Fe, New Mexico, hiking the picturesque Tsankawi Ruins trail when we came to a beautiful plateau where you could see for miles. There were ladders for the kids to climb, and we were really enjoying ourselves in nature. But then, before we realized it, the sun quickly began to set, and we were on the other side of the mountain from our car. Needless to say, we hustled out of there as fast as we could, trying to remain calm. We made it to the car just as the sun completely set. —Pam, Brentwood
A Little Rattled
We had just left Calico Ghost Town in California when our 7-year-old son Eric told us he needed to use the bathroom. We found a restroom in the campground and sent him in. He ran out claiming there was a weird noise. We told him to hurry up and go back in because it was probably nothing. But then he came out again. My husband went in to see what was going on because I didn’t believe my son. There was a rattlesnake curled up on the ground beside the toilet! —Carole, Chesterfield
High Tide
The tide came in and stranded us on a tiny island. In Maine, there is a small island called Bar Island, and during low tide a sandbar becomes exposed, making a natural sand bridge to the island from the mainland. During low tide, you can hike and see all kinds of sea creatures, but it’s very important to watch your time because when the tide comes up, it completely covers the bar for up to 12 hours at a time. So you can become stranded on the island until the tide goes down again. Our family (including 5-, 7-, and 9-year-old grandkids) went out to the island to explore. After hiking, we returned to cross to the mainland, and all we could see was ocean! The sandbar was underwater. We decided to make a run for it, hoisting all three kids on our shoulders. We could see people on the “town” side of the sandbar watching. We made it back to the sound of cheers! —Jill, Ellisville
