Every Mom's worst nightmare: A criminal escaped near my son's school.

Julie's Momologue: "This week at work, I got a call that my 6-year-old son's elementary school was in "lockdown" mode. I wasn't even sure what that meant, but it didn't sound good. My heart lurched, and sheer panic set in. What was happening? Was my baby okay? It turned out that an alleged carjacker had abandoned his stolen vehicle a half block from the school, and had escaped on foot. Since he was still on the loose, they put the school in lockdown mode. All the students had to get under their desks, and the lights went out. Classroom doors were locked. A message sounded over the PA system: "This is not a drill." The whole situation lasted about an hour and a half, until police apprehended the suspect. In that time, teachers and students were not allowed to leave their classrooms under any circumstances. This proved to be a slight problem for my son, who had to go to the bathroom. "I peed in a trash can, Mommy!" he told me, beaming with pride, when I picked him up later that day. The teacher pulled me aside and advised I talk to my son about the ordeal at home to see if he had any questions. I braced myself for the conversation. Surely, he was traumatized. I wanted to make sure I had all the right answers. Over dinner, I thoughtfully and carefully broached the topic. "Honey, I know it was probably scary earlier. Do you have any questions?" I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the inevitable inquiries about carjacking, criminals, school safety...all pretty heavy stuff for a first-grader. "Just one," he said. "Can I pee in our trash can?" I had to laugh. He obviously wasn't as freaked out about this day as I was. In fact, the day he peed in a trash can will probably end up being the highlight of his year."