to expect children out without parent to have an emergency contact number

[morethanpotatoprints]

2 brothers in my local park today aged 8 and 10. One really hurt his foot and had roller skates on. They lived a good way away and no way could he make it home.
Somebody went and told parent but not until poor child had suffered half an hour shivering.
I stayed with them till parent arrived, who was so thankful for the help to her dc.
If they had a contact number things would have been so much easier. Also they were in a very unsafe position. If the other adult hadn't had a car we would still be there waiting for her to turn up. I couldn't have left the kids and the older brother new it was unsafe to leave his brother with strangers.

So AIBU to expect parents to give their dc a contact number.

At that age they should know their home phone number at least.

I take it the parents weren't at home then but at a friends perhaps
. At 10 I new what my home phone number was.

Yanbu at all. Fair enough they should know their home number by then, but what if they are unconscious?

I'm probably paranoid but DS has a little purse type thing with some money and my number in it that's carried about in his bag. If we go out to a v busy place he has a bracelet with my number on.

Better safe than sorry IMO

Dd always has a mobile when she plays out. It is really old and can only be used for calls, so doesn't matter if it got broke, list etc. The only numbers in it are ours and my parents.

IDrank.

That is a very good idea, I may pinch it.

Their mum was at home and came straight away, but the time it took the poor kid was really cold. It wasn't like he could run around and keep warm. She said she only had a mobile number and they wouldn't remember that.
I'm not judging her for letting kids out alone, but just wish she had been easier to contact. I don't drive and had it not been for other parent I would have just had to stay until she was worried and came to look for them.

That's very nice of you to have stayed with them :) bet the mum was happy with you!

I must admit IDrank She was very thankful and laughed at his quivering saying what must you think of me? He was only cold and a bit worried about how he would get home.
All was well in the end, and I certainly wouldn't judge her as they were 10 and 8. But still would like to get the message across to parents to make sure they can be contacted.

All children should know either their home number or at least one parent's mobile number. My DS has know mine since about age 5. I'd never give him a mobile to play out as the chances of him being somewhere where there is no one else with a mobile phone is pretty slim.

My DS always had cheap mobile phones when they played out.

When DS1 was about 10, he was playing in the park with his cousin, swinging on a rope from a tree.

His cousin fell badly and was really hurt. We later found out he'd ruptured his spleen. DS1 rung for an ambulance and also phoned his auntie.

There was nobody else around in the park and DS1 would not have wanted to leave his cousin just lying on the ground if he had had to run home (even though it was only about 10 minutes away).

I don't know - I mean, I never had a phone on me when I played out as a child. In that situation one child would have run home for help. Maybe the problem was they were allowed too far from home?

My dd is frequently out without either a mobile or money to phone home. She may not have pockets, normally doesn't as lives in leggings. Won't want to carry a bag. Doesn't want to wear a coat, doesn't want to risk losing her phone. She could take my really old one but its a pita to carry.

She'll survive. I did.

My dgd could recite her phone number by the time she was 4!

I think it is very important that children know a contact phone number, aswell as their address from a young age.

Thank you, I have just said to my teenagers to make sure they have my numbers written down and easy to find in their bag. They do know home numbers and have phones, but they're code protected, so no use if they are locked unconscious.

VivaLeBeaver - my attitude is the same as yours.

Thank you for posting more eloquently than I could have.

I think it's important for DC to learn a contact phone number as soon as they can manage to. I would certainly expect an 8 year old to know one.

If went to busy places before I was sure the DC could confidently recite my mobile number, I used to write it on their arm (under sleeve, only to be divulged in case of emergency).

Viva, I agree about the phone. I didn't have one either, they weren't invented, lol.

However, when I came of my bike and was seriously dazed and blood pouring out of several places a lovely lady helped me and rang my parents. I was about 9. She could only help me as I knew my home tel number.

When I was a child I often played out with my brothers, there is a big park with a stream where we often playes, about 10 minutes away from our family home.

When I was 9 I was playing on a rope swing over the stream, the rope snapped and I fell a good 7ft into the water. The water is only shallow, maybe a foot deep and I was quite badly injured, my brother jumped down into the stream after me and actually hurt himself doing so, but if he hadn't I would have drowned.
The bank was too high to get out and there was no adults around, if our friend hadn't run home to get my parents I don't know what would have happened.

Back then we didn't have mobile phones, the rule was we had to be in groups of three or more and no further that 10 minutes away and someone had to come home every 20 minutes to 'check in'
and we always knew our phone number.
And it did work.

Now we have mobiles it is even better. I honestly think that if a child is playing out without adult supervision they should have a mobile phone with them at all times.

My dd knows her phone number. Also everyone round here knows her!