Count the Kids
The following story is about family friends who had a jaw dropping experience when they were on a holiday.
The family decided to go camping at Yellowstone. They had two weeks vacation so packed up the station wagon and camper and along with their five kids they set out one Sunday morning.
They crossed the border at Osoyoos and headed south towards Coeur d’Alene where they planned to camp the first night.  When they got to Omak, they stopped to have a picnic lunch and use the bathrooms.  With five kids they had to make sure everyone got their turn!
Dad hollered for everyone to get in the car and he jumped in and started the motor, impatiently tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.  Mom had put all the baskets in the back of the station wagon and got in beside him.  He heard the sound of slamming doors and hollered out…ALL ABOARD?  A chorus of “yeses” answered him back and he pulled out onto the highway.
Dad turned on the radio and he and Mom were singing along to the country music and enjoying the trip.  He could hear the kids in the back who were playing a road game.  Ah..isn’t it wonderful to be all together and just relaxing and enjoying the scenery and music!
Two hours went by when one of the boys poked Dad in the back repeatedly until finally he answered “what to do you want?”  “Dad, there’s a car passing us and a kid in the front seat who looks like Joey is waving at us!”
Dad looked over just as the car was slowly going by and to his astonishment he saw a little face in the front seat that looked like his youngest son!  He quickly pulled the car over as the car behind him did as well.
Everyone piled out the cars and little Joey ran sobbing to his Mom, crying “Why did you guys leave me behind?”
By this time the other man driving the car and Dad had a conversation.  It seems that Dad pulled out without counting heads and Joey was left behind.  He was just standing on the sidewalk crying when the man asked him what was wrong and Joey told him that his Mom and Dad and his brothers and sisters drove away and left him.  The man asked was it just now? Joey said no, it was a long time ago and he cried some more.
The man asked Joey if he knew what his Dad’s car looked like and he said yes it was a station wagon that was blue and white and they had a white camper.  The man put Joey in his car and started driving.  He drove over the speed limit because he was getting worried that maybe they had taken a different road but after almost an hour he saw the station wagon up ahead.
All’s well that ends well, I guess.  After that incident, the kids were counted as they got in the car and no one was ever left behind again.
When they got home, the kids had to tell the whole neighbourhood what happened.  The story was repeated many times especially when they all went somewhere in the car!
This is a true story…really did happen and I know quite well the little boy who got left behind!!!!