Nina's little walkabout

Let me recount to you a story that my wife told me when I got home from work today. It is a horrifiying story from the prospective of a paranoid parent so if you are squeamish at all about that sort of thing then I suggest that you close your browser window, turn your computer off, and spend the rest of your life hiding from the world in the closet.

Here is the story, as I remember it being told to me by my Jackie in her words:
This conversation happened at our front door.
"After you left this morning (about 6:30) Nina and I fell back asleep (Nina usually crawls into bed with us at some point during the night and last night was no exception). For a while. And I was awakened to this sound (She taps lightly on the screen door) . It was Nina. She was outside. She went to get something from the van (I started to really get squeamish at this point because we live on a busy street and the van was parked on that busy street). And she came back because she couldn't get in the van."

Nina is three. She was outside by herself. Out of our yard. I can't even relate to you how much I don't want to think about all the alternative outcomes to that situation. What if she had seen a dog, or a freakin' cat?!?! She would have been gone and I would have received a frantic phone call from Jackie crying and blubbering and I would be freaking out cause I wouldn't be able to understand her and....Ok Ok I must purge this thought from my brain.

I think from now on I will lock the deadbolt on my way out. And tie Nina up. Until she is 25. Then I will be able to sleep again. Child services would understand.