Baby Locked In Car = 911 Emergency

I stood outside my car door, looking at Sofie locked on the inside, trying not to panic, but totally panicking. I just locked my 18 mo. old daughter inside. By herself. With the keys in the ignition. Did I just do this? WTF?! What kind of absent-minded parent does that?! OK, I have no time to hate myself right now. What the hell do I do?!

I feel my phone in my pocket. Who do I call?! Toly will be able to talk me through this! I call. No answer. F******&K!! My mind races and it takes me a minute to get through the panic thoughts and come to the rational ones. I don't want to leave the car and go look for someone, she'll be here by herself and then SHE might panic.

The car is on, the a/c is on full blast. No danger of overheating. So, I look on my phone's map for locksmiths nearby. I call one. He's on the job in the town over. I call another one. "Listen to me," she says slowly and calmly. And I feel a sense of quiet come over my mind as I prepare to understand what she's about to say. "If it's a child locked in the car, call the police and the fire department will be there asap to unlock the door." I breathe a sigh of relief. I call 911 and the dispatcher picks up. I feel the tears coming as I try to utter my circumstance and location.

Sof is still happy as a lark in the backseat. She amazes me. She's playing with her books and toys and says hi to me when I catch her eye through the glass. Her calm helps me relax a bit more. The police get there within three minutes. Firetruck arrives shortly after. The driver tries to talk to me while I watch the another fireman try to jimmy the lock with his tools. Another cop comes sprinting over to me with a cup of water. I wish his energy were put to better use, but I appreciate his wanting to help.

By now, there are three cop cars and a fully loaded firetruck surrounding our wee civic. Sof is a little concerned about the guy outside the window making noise with a big stick. She looks at me for answers and I try to communicate comfort with my eyes and smile - no easy task with how I feel! She still seems okay, but hangs closer by the door that I'm looking into. Finally the door lock clicks open. A different cop tries to pull me aside to ask me questions about what happened. Err, can I get to my daughter, please? I pull her out and hold her in my arms, overwhelmed with gratitude.

The explanation of how she got locked in is longer than I want to relate, but I learned more about how our car door locks operate and came away with a good lesson. Soooooooo grateful for those first responders!