Scaring mom half to death

Note to dads: When mom has had a kid-scare, such as "Where'd he go? He was just right here!", give a couple minutes of comfort and make sure her blood pressure has returned to normal before moving on with your day.
My husband learned this one the hard way Sunday after our son disappeared down the street in hot pursuit of the dog (which he'd let out of the back yard). I chased down boy and dog, secured both in the house, then called my husband and demanded he pick up padlocks for the backyard gates on his way home. "No problem," he says. "I've got one in the back. But I'm here at Best Buy and this is this and that is that...." I'm pretty sure I snarled at him as I hung up the phone. I just couldn't downshift from panic-mode that fast, you know?
Speaking of moms-in-panic, isn't it odd how the list of our fears is directly affected by the list of our children's fears? What I mean is, the fewer things they are afraid of, the more things we are afraid of for them.
For example, moms' fears include: sharp sticks, strange dogs, snakes, bugs, spiders and lizards (just on principle), sunburn and whatever is in the dirt that made that mud pie. Kids' fear: that mom will make them come inside before the sun goes down. Moms' fears: Toys with small parts (including those building toys with the magnets), rubber balloons, plastic bags, pennies and too many stuffed animals in the bed. Kids' fear: that mom won't let them play with something. Anything. Doesn't really matter what. Mom's fears: Anything that makes kids mobile - power wheels, roller skates, bikes and cars (God grant an extra angel to every mother's child with a driver's license). Kids' fear: none of the above. All together now: "God grant me the serenity..."
--Misty