There are few things as frightening to a parent than losing your child in a crowded place like a shopping mall, zoo, or stadium. The moment you realize your child is missing, it's impossible not to consider the terrifying idea they may have been kidnapped.Anyone who's ever found themselves in the frightening scenario knows that adrenaline takes over and doesn't always allow your brain to think of the best solution. Panic sets in.A woman in New Zealand recently lost her son in a Kmart but was able to locate him because of a potentially life-saving parenting hack she saw on TikTok a few months before. A simple shopping trip with a toddler can turn harrowing in an instant. Photo by Benny sun on Unsplash The woman was shopping at the retailer when she realized her two-year-old son Nathan was missing. She immediately told a friend to alert the staff to ensure he didn't leave through the store's front exit."Another friend searched the area he was last seen," the mom wrote in a Facebook post. The mother began looking for him by rummaging through clothes racks and running through the aisles. It was the "scariest 10 minutes of my life" she later wrote.But then she remembered a parenting hack she saw on TikTok by blogger and children's author Jess Martini:"If your child goes missing, screw the stares and start calling out their description," the mother recalled."I'm missing a little boy, he's wearing a yellow shirt and has brown hair. He's two years old and his name is Nathan!" she called out to the rest of the store while reminding herself not to "break down" in tears. "You need people to understand you loud and clear," she said.The mother's calls immediately deputized everyone who heard them to begin looking for the child. It was like multiplying the search by a factor of 10. "I turned an aisle and heard 'He's here!'" she wrote. "I turned back the way I came and there he was. A man had walked past him after hearing me calling out."She immediately thanked the man, realizing that if she hadn't called out he may have never known the child was missing. "Nate would have walked past him and he wouldn't have blinked," she said.The hack came from a Tiktok posted by Martini in late 2021. It's great advice because the knee-jerk response is usually to just call out their name or silently run around looking. @jesmartini PSA that I feel can save kids and I’ve used- if your child goes missing in public #momsoftiktok #PSA #nojudgement #fyp #4up #besafe #parentsoftiktok "To all parents out there, if your child goes missing, do not search in silence or just call out their name," Martini says in the video. "Shout out loud and clear. Say they're missing, give a description and repeat, repeat, repeat!""Everyone will be on alert, and if someone is trying to take off with your kid, it will decrease the chances of them getting away," she added.The advice is a great reminder to make a mental note of what your child is wearing when you go out so you can easily provide a description if they go missing. It also proof that when a parent needs help, most people are more than willing to lend a hand.The video has been so popular (and quite literally life-saving) that Jess Martini has remade it multiple times: @jesmartini PSA- We are all about be traveling fun places w/ our kids for the summer…and this is a tip EVERY parent/guardian/caregiver should have #staysafe #psa #fyp #parents #guardians #caregivers #summerfun #safetyfirst "Remember these things happen to even the very best parents," she says. "I've made this video twice and both times have made international news for saving children's lives."This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.

It's been said countless times, but teachers really are the best and bravest of us all. Anyone who has spent time surrounded by kids, trying to help them learn while managing the countless crises that can occur when hundreds of immature humans are put together in one place, knows that teaching encompasses so much more than just academic instruction. Teachers serve as mentors, counselors, nurses, mediators, and sometimes, even security guards.That's why a middle school teacher who thought there was a fight happening in her classroom ran full speed toward it—in a dress and heels, no less. A TikTok video shared by @lilythern shows a teacher sprinting down a school hallway with an overlay of text that reads, "This middle school teacher thought she was running to break up a fight." As she runs into the classroom, she sees a couple of dozen students gathered in a tight circle and shouting. The teacher immediately starts pushing her way through the outside of the circle, yelling, "Hey! Break it up! Break it up!" But there is no breaking up to be had. In fact, what she finds is the exact opposite. As the students part to let her through, we see some of them holding up signs and smiling. Then we see a man down on one knee. Watch: @lilythern #fyp #touchingmoment #middleschoolersbelike #loveit How fast was that adrenaline switch from fight-or-flight to genuine joy? Seriously, the fearlessness with which she ran into that room is as heartening as the proposal itself. People in the comments loved it:"She is so strong. She was running towards the chaos to stop it with her bare hands. What a fighter. This is the best proposal ever.""That was the 'Not in my school!' run! ????""Fearless teachers are the ones that deserve the most respect.""Don’t marry her, she has to join the Avengers."The students were clearly thrilled to be a part of the sweet proposal, and the teacher's immediate and enthusiastic "yes" made it all that much sweeter. Definitely a moment none of these students—or their teacher—will ever forget. This article originally appeared on 4.12.23

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Another day, another fatal crash from someone who should’ve never been in this country.

Another day, another fatal crash from someone who should’ve never been in this country.