2 year old walking the street by herself feel so sick

[Cantthinkofonenow]

I went to the shop with my 6 year old son and my nearly 3 year old daughter was home with her dad. When I was coming home from the shop round the corner I saw loads of people outside my house so I ran home wondering what had happened. My little girl had tried to follow me to the shop but I had gone another way, and got all the way to the end of the street and even crossed the road before a nice couple picked her up and she told them where she lived. I feel so sick and furious with her dad and like a terrible parent. I can’t believe he didn’t notice she had gone. I can’t stop thinking she might have gone with the wrong person. I feel terrible

My sister's 3 year old disappeared from our shared holiday home once. We searched everywhere frantically (especially as there were a few pools nearby and his swimming wasn't great at that point.). We eventually found him asleep in his car seat that we had left in the garage. He had wandered out of the kitchen into the garage and It was a huge relief to see him fast asleep propped up in his car seat.. it explained him not answering our calls..

Don't feel guilty these things happen.
When my sister was a baby, so I was 3 at the absolute most, my granddad was looking after me while my mum took baby sister to a doctor's appointment. They came back to find my granddad frantically looking for me - that was the day my mum found out I could drag and chair to the back door, turn the key and escape. They found me at the building that housed the local playgroup - luckily on the estate and not across any major roads. 40 years later my mum still talks about the fright in gave my poor granddad! I'm lucky that my child is in a wheelchair so she can't actually stand up to reach the door handle (we live in a flat and our door just locks with a key).

So scary - you definitely need to sort the door.

We had something similar when DS was 4 - we were at DDad's house which has a garden backing onto a fast flowing river. I was in the kitchen with Dad and DD, DH was in the sitting room with DS and some others. Somehow DS left the group and DH thought he was with me.

Looked out of the window and saw DS kneeling by the little railing (6 inches high) looking over the river!! Bear in mind the river runs under that end of the garden so it's deep with a strong current, right there.

OMG I have never panicked so much. I ran outside (downstairs back door, not locked) and got DS back in, but I had nightmares for a year!

Nobody's fault exactly - but several lessons learned! I bet most parents have had scares of varying degrees - but this was horrific. Just grateful he was 4 with good balance and common sense - had he been 2 I dread to think......

He's now 16 and about to learn to drive - the worry never goes away.......🙂!

When I say nobody's fault - certainly I should have checked the door was locked. Both DH and I were at fault in ways - I meant no one person was to blame....

This is alarming, for sure, but it must happen all the time. I know when I was under two I managed to wander off down the road after crawling under a gate (I think from a friends house/garden party kind of thing). My sister also once left home by herself aged three to 'go on holiday' - she got all the way to the train station before a teacher from her pre-school recognised her and brought her back home. About 20 mins walk...! These stories entered family folklore and I don't think there was ever any feeling that my parents were inattentive or anything. In the end, no harm done. The cases that come to harm are thankfully extremely rare.

Things like this happen all the time as toddlers like to explore. As long as you see it as a wake up to adjust the environment now she can manipulate it a bit easier to gain her freedom, it’ll be fine! Once I had a similar thing happen: I was feeding my 3 year old son after he had come home from nursery but he didn’t like the food I’d prepared and said it was nicer food at nursery. I muttered (a bit annoyed but also teasing) that he should go back there for dinner then and went into the kitchen to clean up. Soon realised he’d let himself out the front door and by the time I caught him, he’d crossed a road and was half way up the hill back to nursery! I never said idle things that might be taken literally again - but also explained to him why he couldn’t go out alone and he didn’t try again. He’s an adult now so we made it through and you will too.

Don’t be so ridiculous reporting to SS 😂 have a bit of compassion you pleb

Honey, even if you have the door issue sorted out, you still have a serious partner issue. The fact that he knows she could have been hurt, but takes no responsibility for the event indicates it could happen again. We all makes mistakes, but he is saying he did nothing wrong. You have nothing to feel guilty over, but your children's father is a danger to the children.

Omg I don't know how old this is didn't even look just saw post an my heart dropped, she needs taking in and kept until social services decides what to do, don't get me wrong I hate social services because Care system ruined my life as they put me in 23 Foster homes and never pit a seconds thought Into what was actually best for me however on this occasion its much better that she has somewhere safe and secure to live anything could happen to her.

WTAF?

I had just bathed two year old twins, they had learned to throw off their robes and were messing. I went to grab something from the kitchen and one of them went for the front door which somehow was unlocked. In about one minute, two stark naked toddlers ran at top speed up the road, shrieking with glee. I nearly died of fright but I can't help but laugh about it now. What we must have looked like, me roaring in a panic running after them and trying to wrestle two wriggly naked things back home.

😂