Have we found that pause button for the planet yet, so that I can get my shit together?

This, please.

Ooo, Cash! Too scary.

Hey, the world needs chaotic neutral too.

The dog nannies sound adorable.

I was a polite enough kid that I often told my mother where I was going. Sometimes it took her a while to put "to see Daddy" and "out beyond the breakers" together, but my legs were very short. I did get returned from sitting in the middle of the street playing once too. But I'm not sure what the mechanism for us being watched was.

Like Good Dog Carl: [link]

I have no memory of me wandering off as a child. I think I was pretty happy to stay where I was, as long as I had a book and a stuffed animal to talk to.

My cat once jumped on the back of a Doberman who got into our yard and was heading for me. She rode him for a couple of blocks. He never came in our yard again.

I wasn't much of a wanderer, but I did like to climb on things. Once my mom found me on top of the refrigerator.

My brother, OTOH, used to wander off like mad. The scariest was once when were were downtown on the Mall -- there were a bunch of school groups around with kids about his age, and at least one of them had the kids lined up by holding loops attached to a rope. My brother took off, grabbed an empty loop, and just started following them around! It took us ages to find him because we were looking for a kid alone, not a kid attached to a school group. We got him back when the teacher stopped to do a kid count and noticed that she'd picked up a spare.

Jilli, I saw a news report with film about a man who's come up with motorized ... somethings ... that he's made look like cupcakes! I saw him zipping down the street and thought of you! They're quite small, but very cute (even have sprinkles).

Jilli, I saw a news report with film about a man who's come up with motorized ... somethings ... that he's made look like cupcakes

Ooooh! Yes, that sounds like something I'd like.

All my motivation for work has disappeared. Instead, I am (again) looking at vintage handbags.

Question - would it be scarier to do a count and find an extra child or one missing? I'm guessing a missing one is scarier, but an extra would be more confusing.

Heh. I was not a climber, as my dad would put books on top of the fridge when he was tired of seeing me read them (apparently, my first "chapter" book ever, "Key to the Treasure", I read over and over and over and over...I was about 5. If they'd only bothered to find out there was a SEQUEL...I didn't read it until about two years ago!)

My sister, OTOH, was about 2 when she and her best friend (same age) toddled off to go to the candy store together...across a busy street...But apparently it was OK for them to walk to each others houses together? (Unclear if they were thought to be going from friend's house to ours or vice versa, but apparently that was OK!! And I know my sister was less than 3, because we moved away before she turned 3...) Though these days I'm shocked at many of the freedoms I had as like, a five year old. OTOH, it was in a fairly small city. But still!