I’m a wanderer, yeah I’m a wanderer…

I dread going to the park, the store, the mall or even having my child play in the front yard.

I see other parents unbuckling their children from car seats and turn their backs while the child gets out and waits close by.

I’ve seen parents who sit on park benches and watch their children play while they read a book.

I’ve even seen, if you can believe it, kids actually hanging out on the front lawn while their Dad mows.

Over the summer, my son attended a school that had both a front and back door to the bathroom. Guess which door he decided to escape out of?

I lost him at Kindergarten orientation. I was talking with a friend and saw him walk down the hallway. He turned the corner and “poof” he was gone. I tried to play it cool - smiling at the teachers as I broke out in a sweat frantically going up and down stairs and around corners trying to find him. You’d think I just ran a marathon. I could almost hear their thoughts, “Oh there’s Mrs. Bjork, losing her child again”.

When we took my kids to Micke Grove Zoo a few years ago, Alex literally took off along the path and ran by every exhibit without even a glance at the seals. I think we were done in 15 minutes.

People in my neighborhood wonder if I even exist because we are often sequestered to the house or backyard.

I just read a story on CNN.com about an organization called “4 Paws for Ability” that trains service dogs a variety of methods to help keep kids with autism safe. “Since many children tend to wander away and get lost, 4 Paws uses a technique called "tethering," where the kids are tethered to their dogs while in public.” Hmm, not a bad idea. See CNN.com for the full story.

It’s not that I never let my son go to the park or play out front. It’s just that it’s not one of my preferred activities...and I may tantrum.