Then there’s the combined relief at find them safe and sound and the (misplaced) anger at them for making you nearly have a heart attack because they had innocently gone wandering.

Fortunately, Brad and I enjoy many of the same things, so it’s pretty easy to stick together. What really helps is a store having someplace for kids to sit within visual range while a parent browses a given aisle, like a bookstore. Brad didn’t mind my taking my time in a used bookstore recently when there was a place for him to sit while I did so.

More places should have a system like Chuck E. Cheese, where both parent/guardian and child are handstamped on entry and can’t get out without both stamps matching. Simple and effective, but don’t know how cheap. Now if only the food were better and the noise level were less at that eating establishment, it would get my business much more often.