I've Got a Runner!

Sundays is always the hardest day for Scott because we don't maintain the routine that he is use to. Unfortunately this Sunday his confusion reared it's ugly head!  We had invited Andy and Angela and the kids over to celebrate our traditional Hanukkah dinner and I had just finished making some creamed filled donuts when he started getting upset and wanted to go.  I explained that we couldn't go to the store (see an earlier post about that!) because it was Sunday but that didn't help.  I finally agreed that we could go to his walking place which seemed to pacify him.  I drove him down and waited while he took his short walk.  Once that was done we came back home.  Within 15 minutes he started pacing and told me he needed to go to the store but I told him no.  He started throwing the pillows because he said I wouldn't listen to him.  He then threatened to go without me.  He walked out the door and then came right back in.  He demanded that I let him go which I said that he was welcome to take a walk on our street.  He then left again and I followed him out to the front yard.  He walked up to the corner and then turned around and looked at me.  I waved for him to come back and he turned around and disappeared around the corner (serves me right!).  I went in and got the car keys and went to find him.  He was on the main street in our neighborhood walking down the middle of the road.  When he saw me he stopped and came over to the car and got right in.  I asked him where he was going and he replied by pointing and saying, "to there, and there, and there." He seemed calmer and we returned home.  I went back into the kitchen and he sat down and watched the television.  I went out into the garage to get a bowl from the cabinet.  When I came back he was gone.  I thought he had gone to the bathroom but when he didn't come back I went to check on him and he was gone again.  I got into the car and this time I found him almost to the Jess Ranch area down the road and decided that I would just watch and see where he would go.  Unfortunately, a nice lady stopped and he was ready to get in her car so I drove over to her car.  When Scott saw me he came to me and got into the car.  This time I wasn't quite so patient and told him I was really mad at him because he didn't tell me he was going anywhere.  He was sorry and so was I--but I was mostly scared.  Once we got home I told him again never to leave the house without telling me.  I know that this will happen again and talked to Andy and Angela about putting an alarm on our front door which I am looking into right now.  I now have him wearing his med alert wrist band all the time just in case I don't find him as quickly as I have so far.  I now have much empathy for these young mothers who have a runner in their family.  They are lucky though, because their runner isn't tall enough to reach the lock!