It's Dani All Over Again

I just about had a heart attack today. I'm almost crying as I write this, as the full impact of what could have happened sinks in. Connor has turned into a roamer, just walking right out of the house whenever he feels like it, and right into other people's houses. No boundaries, or fear, that kid. Aaaargghhhh!!! And today, he let Emma, another roamer in the making, out of the house, where she wandered off down our street (a little strip that ends in a culdesac) and onto the next, where there is a lot more traffic. There were two adults and two teenagers in the house, and nobody had a clue what was happening. The only reason we are not at the emergency room right now, have cops on our doorstep (don't count that out, yet), or both, is that Connor came back into the house and told me she was out in the street. I walked out of the house, irritated, thinking she was on the sidewalk or something, but no, when Connor started riding his bike out towards the main road, I started running, a sinking feeling in my stomach. I found her a few steps off the edge, just watching all the drama, and there was a silver pickup truck stopped on her side of the road, blocking traffic, and two more cars blocking traffic in the other direction. I just ran up to her, picked her up, and just held her, not even able to look at anyone, I was so grateful and freaked out at the same time. Now that I look back, I didn't even wave thanks to anyone, I just carried her back to the house. I was having flashbacks to nine years ago, when Dani roamed all over the neighborhood, and was run over in the neighbor's driveway. But Emma is smaller, and in that traffic, she would have been squished like a bug, that's it, she's gone. There'd be a funeral this weekend. Okay, I think I will cry now, and then go install locks at the TOP of the inside of the doors, so neither Connor nor Emma can get out.