Red-Faced Moments!

Everyone has an embarrassing story or two (or three) to share, and I'm no different. When contemplating this post, however, I realized that some of my moments (the ones that still make my cheeks turn pink to this day) are not ones I can really share here. Get me cornered and buy me a drink or two, though, and I'll spill all.

So, since I'm not cornered and have only consumed vast amounts of coffee today, I'll go with one of my, shall we say "appropriate" embarrassing moments.

This happened when I was a very new mother. My daughter was only a few weeks old. It was cold out...very cold, actually, and I was feeling a little too housebound. I decided to brave the cold, and the scariness of the unpredictable nature of my infant daughter, to escape the house and go to the mall.

Yes. The mall.

Remember, it was cold, so the park or any other outside activity was not an option. My mother-in-law phoned right before I left and I told her my plans. She did not think it was a good idea. She offered to come get me and my daughter and take us to the mall. Because I was stubborn (okay, I'm still stubborn), I refused her offer, and headed out with my little one all on my own.

Everything was fine. Really. We walked through the mall and I picked up a few odds and ends, a few books to read, and after a couple of hours I was more than ready to head back home. So here I was feeling all powerful because I'd done it! I'd taken this little baby out into the world and we'd survived!

I push the stroller to my car, settled my daughter into her carseat, and then locked the car door and shut her in...nice and tight. Walked around to my side to get in...and, as you've probably guessed by now...realized I'd locked my keys inside the car with my precious infant daughter. I could see them, taunting me, sitting right next to her.

This was before cell phones were common, and I didn't have one. It was cold out. I couldn't leave my daughter inside the car to go call for help. So I stood there, hoping someone would walk by that I could beg for help from. This is a good place to mention that at the time, I lived in a very, very small town and the "mall" was not one of those booming huge places filled with people seven days a week. No, this mall had a total of 10 stores in it. Maybe. I'm not making this up. Basically, it was a weekday morning and barely anyone was there.

So I stood there and worried, looking around the lot like a crazy person, when who should I see? My mother-in-law. Yep. I called her over, and the look she gave me...well, I'm sure you can imagine it. That I-know-better-than-you-so-why-didn't-you-listen-to-me type of look. Not that I cared THEN, all I wanted was to get into my car and take my daughter home. With my mother-in-law's help (she called the police to come jimmy the door open), I did...and we were all fine and safe.

But I listened to this story being told for years after it happened. How if I'd "just listened to her in the first place, it wouldn't have happened." I've suffered more than my fair share of embarrassment over this story! Of course, you can be sure I've never locked my keys in my car again.

Though, I'll admit my daughter (now a teenager) finds the telling of this moment absolutely hysterical...