So You've Gotten Yourself Lost

My two-year-old son is able to understand these instructions, and he promises to follow them next time he gets separated from us:

1. Look around.
2. Find a mom.
3. Tell the mom, "I'm lost."

Step 1 usually solves the problem quickly; chances are Mary or I are nearby but out of Thomas's immediate field of vision. Step 2 is the brilliant part: every kid knows what a mom looks like, and a mom is very unlikely to exploit a lost kid. Step 3 is actually superfluous. Most moms will intuitively figure out that this strange kid who's suddenly latched on to her is lost. But it provides the social lubrication for the kid to approach the mom and break the ice.