If your five year old walked out of a shop while you weren't looking?

[crossandalarmed]

DS is usually very sensible, and generally a good boy. Yesterday, we were shopping, he got a bit bored, but he asked if he could wait on the step (by the door) while I went to pay. I said yes, walked to the till and when I turned, couldn't see him. Then I saw a woman looking out of the door, I called his name and she'd seen him walk out of the door and off down the road. I had to leave my baby daughter at the foot of the steps and chase him down the road, fortunately the woman stood by the pram until I got back.

He's never done anything like that before. I was absolutely furious, sent him to his room when we got home, and we didn't go to a little christmas party he was due to go to yesterday afternoon. I mentioned the reason why to one of my friends, and she laughed and said she was glad I wasn't her mum! Did I overrreact?

I think he's too old to wander off, he knew what he was doing was wrong, and he has to be punished quite severely for that: it is dangerous and means I can't take my eyes off him. He's at an age where I should (and have in the past) trusted him.

In our local Waitrose (which I don't shop in all the time, but do if I only need a few things, as it's closest) there is a bench at the end of the checkouts, where I regularly let my DTs sit whilst I'm paying. It's not very far from the checkouts, and is in full view, as long as I'm looking in that direction, of course. The twins are 3.5. If either of them got up and ran off, I would be LIVID. I don't think that 3.5 is old enough to understand the personal safety aspect, but I DO think it's old enough to understand that they should do what Mummy asks (ie stay put if they've asked to sit on the bench) and that if they don't do that,there will be consequences.

OP, I think what you did was perfectly appropriate - your DS is older than my DDs, and so much more able to understand that staying put on the step was not only what you expected, but that not doing so was likely to be dangerous, and would therefore lead to serious consequences. There are a couple of threads on the go at the moment, about the whole consequences of bad behaviour thing, and on both posters have made the point that the punishment should "fit" the crime. However, I am of the opinion that a punishment must mean something to the child if it is to be effective. In this case, missing a party was entirely appropriate.

I've just ended up laughing to myself!!

I've nearly always been on the middle of the fence on an AIBU thread - so much my bum hurts. This time I thought I'd say my mind like other people do and didn't hold back only to find it's NOT AIBU thread. OOPS

No matter how sensible and well-behaved, young children are so umpredictable. We lost DS2 in similar circumstances when he was 4. He wandered out of a shop and we were unable to find him in the street. The shop staff phoned the local police station and was there. He'd been taken there by a passer-by. It still terrifies me to think of what could have happened.