Who Went Missing?

Jasmin is a very independent child. She manages also rather well and understands things after being shown only once (ok, maybe twice...but not more). An she can navigate too...its a shame that she sometimes takes off without notifying anyone...and then she wonders why we have "disappeared" and scolds too...

We went to see a movie today. It was the first time Jasmin went to the movies. She was soon fed up with sitting and took off to the ladies toilet. After seeing the way once, she took off there and back, with me just running after her, only to see her go in the other direction. Jasmin has no problem finding the correct theater, or differentiating between the boys and girls restrooms... I did not get to see much of the movie, and Jonathan could not really tell me the story either. :-(

After that we went to the play area in the shopping mall. At a certain moment Jasmin decided to go towards the toilet. There were many people and I found myself just seeing her go into the restrooms and hence I chased her there. but she was not to be found. She went back to the play area, where I was originally sitting, but she did not find me there, because I was chasing her to the restrooms. For what seamed like my biggest nightmare and an eternity of time, I went in and out of the restrooms and to the different compartments and yelled her name. People were getting interested and offered me assistance, wanting to know what the lost child looks like.

Its not the first time Jasmin takes off without a word, She is also very fast! Just two weeks ago, we were in a playground in the vicinity of the sopping mall and Jasmin decided she wanted to play n the shopping mall. and off she went! This time we had a much larger area to cover, and my husband chaned her and lost track of her. Luckily I recalled how she loves the play area in the shopping mall and decided to look for her there, and that is also where I found her. Pheeeeww!

And so, to get back to our story, Jasmin and I, in a fully crowded shopping mall , due to the Easter and Passover holidays, were chasing each other around the area between the restrooms and the play area... (Jonathan was buyign a drink and also joined me in the search).  Eventually, after a minute or two...or five... (but who counts time at such a time) I found her just coming towards the restroom, which I was just leaving for the third time...and as I was about to say something about her leaving my side without notice, Jasmin made an angry face and scolded me soundly. "Where did you disappear off to?" she yelled, so I retorted with the same question, but Jasmin was not convinced.
"You really should no go and disappear!", she repeated. and then she added that she was very angry with me, for god measure.

I must admit that this escapade made me think that indeed it is not certain who went missing. Jasmin wondered off, true, but she also know exactly where to come back to. Maybe if I had not gone searching, she would have found me sooner. With Jonathan, who is 7 years old, this is how we behave, waiting until he comes back (well, if we know where he is going to - he needs to say something before taking off). But Jasmin is just 3! Its interesting that she knows very well that one should not just "disappear"and get separated from the others, after all she scolded me for getting lost. Still she does not adhere to the rule herself! I guess she just trusts that we will follow... after all, that is what parents do.