Time for a Dad Confession (again):

I blame my mobile phone. I had my face in my phone, not on my kids and, because of that, I didn’t notice my son get out of the car. I pulled away as if everything was fine in the backseat, but my oldest wasn’t there.

I can’t imagine the thoughts running through his 9 yr old mind as he watched his father and brother pull away in the vehicle leaving him stranded in an airport parking lot in an unfamiliar city.

That’s what I did, that’s what happened. Here’s my #PARENTFAIL story:

We were picking my wife up at the Vancouver airport, and while I awaited her call in the cell phone lot, the boys and I all pecked away at our devices. We waited about 5 minutes when I announced “okay, she’s here! Let’s go.”

I heard a door open behind me, I just thought it was my son adjusting a seatbelt or something, I didn’t hear him get out. I pecked away a minute more, put the car in gear and drove away.

As I turned out of the lot, Charlie announced “daddy, Zacharie’s not here.” I swivelled my head to the back and seat and realized my son wasn’t in the car.

I wasn’t angry, scared, upset – I was smirking to myself as I pulled into a bus stop bay half a block away. I don’t know why my first reaction was laughter, but I immediately went to the ‘this story is going to be really funny one day’ thought while Zacharie was terrified at the thought of having his Kevin in Home Alone fantasies actually come true.

What I did wasn’t on par with those parents in Japan who wanted to teach their 7 year old son a lesson so they dropped him off in the woods where he was lost for six nights.  He turned up safe, and eventually forgave his father for taking things too far.

I wonder if they’re laughing about it yet? Probably not.

My situation lasted barely a minute, not a week, but it really was that kind of Home Alone comedy of errors that resulted in my son being left alone in the parking lot.

I’d love commiserate with you in the comments. We’ve all had a #PARENTFAIL moment … I showed you mine what’s yours?

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