A toddler was left on a tow path while mum marched other two to school as he was having a tantrum

[daffodilly2]

Taking my daughter to school, a while ago now, but ingrained in my memory was a very well spoken, well dressed mother with three DSs. The youngest, still in nappies was creating because he did not want to walk ( he wanted a "carry") - she was irate and left him on the path, a stream nearby while she marched the older boys into school, one of them looking back decidedly worried ( it seemed to me ) for little bro.
I waited with the boy until she returned with a huge grin like I've taught him a lesson haven't I. I was speechless just gave her a glare and hurried off with my DD.

Am I being unreasonable or isn't this a kind of abuse and dangerous behaviour. I still quiver at the thought and wonder what other seeming respectable mothers do to their offspring.

Good idea Joanna let the mum be scared a fad think her child was lost.

Great idea Joanna - a child already anxious about mother missing for 8 minutes would be comforted by being grabbed by a stranger, taken to a strange place, people in uniforms, kept there for a LONG time, possibly at a police station, waiting hours for a social worker, more hours (still without access to mother) until the sw had interviewed mother...

Of course no child should be left alone in a public place unsupervised for 8 minutes, and especially near water (of whatever kind). OP- you did the right thing keeping watch, and had you been able to do it in the moment (hindsight is a kuxury) maybe it would have been good to have said 'I've been keeping an eye on her/him to make sure s/he was safe'.

That's true blu I was thinking only about the mother. Thing is really the mum got away with this, I would have said something.

I think (hope) you could also get into serious trouble picking a child up and taking it to your own house - especially if you did know that the mother was round the corner at the school. If anyone found a child and had no idea where the parent was surely the right thing to do would be to call the police there and then, not take it home?

dp found a lost and terrified 4 yo at a big street event in London - he called the police and they said stay with the child until the police arrive, and even if someone comes and says they are the child's parent ask that person to wait until the police come, and wait with them.

i have seen a lot of parents walk off and leave their little one behind... usually the small tantrumer ceases tantruming and trots after parents who are only a few yards away. perhaps that was what she was expecting to happen.

unfortunately ds would quite happily stay for 8 minutes and bugger off somewhere. i am the parent that is carrying stropping toddler kicking, screaming down the road (if all else has failed and we need to be somewherer now) or idly examining produce on the shelves whilst ignoring a small body lying on the floor. dd on the othe hand usually did what she was told when she was told. i suspect her tantrums have been rolled over to ds...

I found a child wandering on his own on the street.After waiting with him for a while I checked with 2 nearby pubs that he didn't belong to anyone there I got them to ring the police and waited there with him til they came.Just as they arrived a call came through to the police woman from a preschool held in a church hall nearly half a mile away to report him missing ! I had alraedybeen with the boy 20 minutes by then and before that he must have walked half a mile and crossed a fairly busy street.he must have paased other people and nobody else had done anything!

I was with DS1 and DS2 in very busy city centre. DS2 decided to have huge tantrum and refused to move. Had never happened before so didn't know what to do. I just sat down in middle of pavement with DS1 next to DS2 and sat we sat and chatted all the while ignoring DS2. Not sure if this was the right thing to do but probably only lasted for a couple of minutes (longest have ever spent) and never happened again . Not sure that would do the same thing if it happened with GS

DS2 used to escape across our back garden, through a gate with a handle above toddler height, across the neighbour's garden, down a passageway and through another gate to watch the lorries on the main road . He was a master of opportunism. Luckily people used to stay with him whilst I rushed out in a panic to retrieve him.

We moved in the end.

I think this is a terrible thing to do to a toddler. My almost-five-year-old would be in state if I did this to him, let alone my two year old.

When we were looking at my son's school there was a mum on our 'tour' who had a toddler with her as well as the daughter who was due to start the school. She was also heavily pregnant. When we were in a classroom, the older girl said she needed a wee and the mum just wandered off with her to find a loo, without telling the toddler she was going, or asking any of us to watch out for her. The little girl got herself in a right old state and my husband and I had to calm her down and reassure her that mummy would be back any minute. That was horrible and I assume just because the mum was about 42 weeks pregnant, knackered and suffering from baby brain. Would be worse done in anger, I expect, and in a dangerous place.