The story you are about to read is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.
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Sunday began like any other Sunday. The Father and Mother took their two young children to the museum in the morning and returned home for a healthy and nutritious lunch. With a yawn, the youngest boy, who is two years old, headed upstairs for his regular afternoon nap. The Father, noticing the Mother was also tired, suggested that she put her head down as well.

The Father headed out with the older boy to do some shopping. He returned an hour later and proceeded to put some groceries away. The house was still quiet, and the Father assumed everyone was still sleeping.

The Father returned to the car to bring in the last of the bags when he heard a voice from behind him. He turned to see a couple of strangers approaching the house. The man was holding a familiar looking toboggan, and the woman was carrying the Father’s youngest son in her arms.

The Father wondered who these people were, and why they had his son. The couple explained that they had found the boy a couple of blocks away. He was wandering around on his own, and then calmly led the strangers back to his home after they found him. The Father thanked the strangers profusely and brought the boy inside.

It turns out the child had woken up from his nap and decided to set off in search of his swimming lesson. He went down two flights of stairs, put on his boots and winter coat, and unlocked the front door. He walked out onto the front porch and saw a world of possibilities. He grabbed his purple sled and dragged it down the street, confident in the knowledge that eventually he would find the pool.

The Father and Mother were grateful for his safe return, but they were also left quite shaken by the event. They tried not to think of all the awful things that could have happened to a two-year old who had ventured out on his own. The Father was quietly proud that the young boy had shown the intelligence and confidence to embark on such an adventure and return home, but he also worried that his budding sense of daring would lead to many more anxious moments for the Father and Mother in the years to come.