how long was this 5yr old gone before the mother noticed?
too many parents let their children run amok when in stores. they should be more diligent not only for the childs safety which is foremost but for the courtesy of other shoppers and respect of the shop they are in. i find this annoying when trying to shop at times. i have a young child and she stays right with me at all times with the direction of “no touching”
i hate when im trying to do grocery shopping or clothes shopping and i have to work around kids that are left unattended while the mother is totally engaged in her own activity.
morale to this tale ..watch your kids!
Just curious—have you broken your capital I key ?
Though that annoys me to no end too, I am holding *him* responsible, anything can happen fairly quickly, especially in a public place.
I really wish there were death sentences for sex offenders against children. In and out of jail for these guys is rediculous.
Why?
Because you fit the profile of a typical abductor. (Who, in almost all - but not all - of these cases are older white men.)
So, even though you know exactly what to do, you have to be careful while doing it so that your actions cannot in any way be misinterpreted as an attempt to abduct the child.
In dealing with the typical lost-child-asking-for-help-in- the-department-store-situation, I follow four rules:
Rule #1: No matter how much they are crying or look like they need comforting, do not touch the child in any way.
Rule #2: Without holding their hand or touching them lightly on the shoulder or anything else, have them follow you to the nearest sales representative, preferably in a wide open sales area.
Rule #3: Tell the sales clerk that the child says they are lost and ask them for help. Usually this means a call to security.
Rule # 4: Once the sales representative takes charge, check out with them and leave.
Now, of course, common sense has to prevail and there are times when more physical contact must occur. You can never leave a small child in a dangerous situation.
Within the last two days, there has been an incident here in Northern Virginia, where a woman came across a crying 3 year-old girl on a sidewalk while out on her morning jog. She took her in charge but immediately walked her to a neighborhood house and asked the resident to call the police. The police came and discovered the girl and her 19 month-old sibling had been left alone at the family home (which, IIRC was within a block of where the jogger first encountered her). When mom returned home (about 2 1/2 hours later), the police were waiting for her. Mom (who is from southeast Asia judging from her name) got counseled by the police and is being investigated by Child Protective Services. The kids are at home in the custody of Dad (who was away at work at the time of the incident).
Oh for Pete’s sake - and we wonder why our kids have no initiative and individual thought. It’s your job to teach them proper behavior when out of your sight. How do you intend to do so if you never let them out of your sight ? Unattended does not always equate to misbehaving. Mom has ears, you know, or like many of us, eyes in the back of her head.
You prefer we not allow them out of the sight of Mom or Dad - for how long ? Age 9 ? 12? 15 ?
A 5 yo can be peacefully occupied not tearing up the store and proper behavior in public places, except that now we have to watch out for the perverts and the dour adults like you who disapprove of children not under the immediate control of their parents.