Man screaming at and rough-handling boy on way to school this morn - WIBU to call school?

[cfc]

I was getting the baby up this morning and her window was open. I heard a guy screaming at a young lad, perhaps about 6 yr's old. He was in his face shouting "just apologise to me, all you have to o is say I'm sorry Sam" so it wasn't his dad. Then he grabbed him by the front of his jacket and lifted him up in front of his face and continued shouting in his face - he also was still smoking with the ciggie hanging from his mouth.

At this point out of my window I shouted at him to stop. He just walked on, but I could hear him continuing to shout but couldn't make it out - he had a proper thick scottish accent (we don't live in Scotland).

I've heard this guy shouting before recently only. Should also mention he was walking with others Inc I think the child's mother. And there were people at the bus stop watching this whole thing. Had I been able, ie not getting a child up, and waiting for the toddler to have his morning poo (he thinks he can wipe his own bum, he can't) I'd have done more.

I think I know the school. I bet they're known to ss. Or I could wait until Monday and follow them to school if dh wouldn't mind getting into work late so i could a- mind the child or b- say to the school admin 'look that family there.

Typos - sorry on tablet.

Penis - that makes no sense, otherwise no-one would be asked to step forward as a witness to an event.

It makes perfect sense if you actually read what I said. Since I'm talking about her judging the OTHER OBSERVERS motivations and not about her actual testimony on the alleged event.

Although I think you'll find the science of witness testimony takes into account viewer bias, attribution errors, and far more. Eye witnesses are notoriously unreliable after the fact.

my stepfather used to be able to bellow with a fag in his mouth

he had LOTS of practice

he never had any trouble getting volume, it was clarity that suffered. Which was a good thing.

squeaky have seen folk with the ability to smoke and talk - like they have stuck the ciggie to their bottom lip - usually have seen it done but old men that look like they were once sea faring folk

I just think the message should be if you have any concerns then report them.

I know we dont decide we know exactly what others are thinking all the time but there are times however that our feelings are clearly displayed in our facial expressions and body language and it would not be inaccuarte to say without doubt they wear scared, if they displayed that fear. I just dont see the need to doubt.

Ignoring all the rubbish on the thread OP please go to the school. You asked "what will they do" They will log it and will report to ss if necessary.

You will have done what you can to help the poor boy.

The school does have a duty to protect children. They will be interested. They have to pass on serious concerns to SS. This has the potential to be a serious concern. When I deal with the chronologies of care cases, they are littered with incidents like these. If neighbours and people on the street had not been concerned enough to report, it would have taken much, much longer to build up a true picture of the concerns about a child.

I agree we all have a moral duty to protect children. I think the behaviour as you describe is abusive, even as a one off. But if someone is capable of losing it to that extent with a small child, I would doubt it is a one off or will remain unique.

Also agree that those posters who thought the most comment worthy part of this op was whether or not you can shout with a fag in your mouth need to go back to sorting out their My Little Pony collections.

I agree that people can smoke and TALK, I can do it myself, but personally I have never known anyone who can actually shout and raise their voice with a cig in their gob.

And I have just been attempting it too.. the dog is looking at me as if I have gone bonkers.

I still dont think my opinion deserves me to be called a stupid C--t though!

And My Little Pony was well after my childhood..

If you are saying the op is making it up, fine. If you are ignoring the many people who have given you their own personal testimonies re being shouted at by smoker, then whatever. It's obviously very important to you, for some unfathomable reason. that doesn't make you a cunt but it does make you very annoying.

some people can smoke and shout unless what my mother, siblings and I endured and witnessed as a childhood was a fabrication of my memory.

i really think you should let it go now squeaky with the smoking thing. you are in fear of trivialising what some pople on this thread are hinting to have experienced as children and thats pretty disrespectfull IMHO.

OP, I think you're right to report what you saw to the school.

So sad to read so many personal anecdotes here of those who have experienced being mistreated as children.

i really think you should let it go now squeaky with the smoking thing

Tbf everyone else keeps calling her name and bringing it back up!

Proper thick Scottish accent sounds as if you're trying to be insulting to the lovely people of Scotland in an indirect manner.

I am finding this thread quite depressing and disturbing.

I know the majority of posters are advising the OP to contact the school as what she saw/heard may be helpful and relevant to the authorities and may make a difference in a small child's life.

However there are also a significant number who have nitpicked over the details and have also attempted to undermine the seriousness of what was observed.

The situation OP described is nowhere near 'good enough parenting'

It needs reporting as being abusive and highly inappropriate behaviour against a defenceless child...

However those posters who believe that the school and/or SS won't be able to act on the information [because they are drowning in serious abuse cases and are under resourced/staffed] really worry me... Because I understand this is what happened in the Baby P case? That concerned members of the public did report their concerns then but they either weren't logged appropriately or acted on due to flaws in the system or lack of resources? I am sure someone on this thread understands this a lot better than I do but it is disturbing to think that concerns may be reported but are unable to be investigated adequately by the professionals.

Because I understand this is what happened in the Baby P case? That concerned members of the public did report their concerns then but they either weren't logged appropriately or acted on due to flaws in the system or lack of resources

Flaws like A&E doctors missing his broken spine?

Yeah this is just like that.

Yes but to be fair LeQueen, this thread isn't about you and your amazing acting abilities, it's about a helpless child.

OP did you manage to get to the school? I hope it went well.

No need to be sarcastic AmberLeaf

I was not talking about serious injuries that a medical doctor should have picked up. I was talking about relatively 'minor' stuff that apparently concerned members of the public reported. However all these instances were not pulled together into a coherent whole and thus those warning signs were not examined or acted upon by the relevant professionals.

You are right to be concerned about ability of agencies to log concerns and then talk to one another. It is no where near good enough. That's why when the cases get to court the chronologies are 10 pages long.

But imagine how much worse it would be if people didn't bother to report at all because they thought it wasnt their business or no one would care or they were too busy fussing over logistics of smoking and shouting.

I think at least three adults could have saved Jamie Bulgers life when they saw him crying and bleeding being led by the hand by those other children. But they didn't intervene because they thought it wasn't their business.