Sometimes as parents, we are awoken from a dead sleep in the middle of the night. It could be kids, the dog, or in one woman's case, three police officers in her bedroom shining a flashlight in her face. TikToker @mustangashley9 posted a video that has people scared to death about what could happen in their homes while they sleep.
Somehow, Ashley's 2-year-old son found his way out of the house and onto the front lawn in the middle of the night. The scariest part? She has no idea how he did it.
Ashley put her kids to bed as usual.
The night her son escaped her home, nothing was out of the ordinary. She put him to be around 8 p.m., as she usually does.
"I laid them all into their beds soundly. I went to bed at 10:30. And at 10:30, I checked on my youngest, because that's what I normally do. I open the door, I see him in his bed, he's 2 by the way, just for frame of reference, and he's perfectly fine. So I go to bed," she explained in the video.
Her husband went to bed about an hour later. Everything seemed normal in their house at the time.
They awoke to police officers in their bedroom.
Around 1:45 a.m., Ashley and her husband were suddenly awakened by three police officers standing above their bed, shining flashing lights in their faces. The police told Ashley they discovered a toddler outside "crying and screaming and cold."
Ashley sprang from her bed, ran into her son's room, and realized he was not there. Instead, he was outside, safely, in an ambulance.
No one knows how the toddler got outside.
The scariest part of this story is that Ashley has no idea how her son left the house unnoticed.
"I did not wake to the baby monitor that is stationed in his room, to the door opening, to police officers knocking on my door, to anything at all," she explained.
She said in the video that no one else in the home woke up. Her dog, who usually barks, didn't make a sound. She doesn't even know how long her little boy was outside.
Ashley feels so guilty.
It's no surprise Ashley feels horrible. Wouldn't we all? No one goes to sleep thinking that one of their kids will get up and go outside.
"I feel like the s—-iest mom ever," she said.
Aside from being a little cold, the toddler was not harmed. Thankfully, he's OK, but Ashley doesn't know how she will sleep well from now on.
Parents feel for Ashley.
People on TikTok couldn't help but reach out to Ashley and let her know she's not alone. Many parents shared stories of scary moments they've had with their kids.
"when my oldest was three he ran into a three-lane highway when I was buckling his little brother into the car seat. he was fine, I was not," one person wrote.
"My 5yo told us that one night she couldn't sleep so she went to the front yard and prayed then came back inside. . We now have an alarm lol," a parent empathized.
"You can tell you are a Mom that loves your kids just by being humble in this video. I have a two year old and this is my biggest fear," someone else commented.
One follower admitted to doing the same thing as a kid. "Don't beat yourself up, I used to leave the house and visit neighbors in the early morning my parents had to lock me in from the outside " the person wrote.
Ashley posted a follow-up video.
Many viewers recommended that Ashley get security cameras and put locks up high where a small child can't reach them. She said she does have cameras outside of her home but not on the inside. The camera has DVR footage, but she can't bring herself to look at the video from that night.
"I think if I did, I might die of heartbreak watching my 2-year-old stand outside crying and cold," she explained.
We get you, momma. That would be tough to see. We can tell how much you love your kids. This kind of thing truly could happen to anyone. Don't beat yourself up too much. Love on those babies, and be thankful that everyone is back in a loving, warm home together.
