Just before 7 this evening, there was a knocking at my door. I went to answer it, and it was a boy I didn't recognise asking me to sponsor him "for school". I said no, I wouldn't, as I didn't know him and that I didn't think he ought to be knocking on the doors of people he didn't know. I asked him where he lived (he said, at the end of this road), I asked his name and the school he went to. I then stopped, as I felt that I was putting him in the sort of position I was trying to avoid by asking questions, iyswim. Anyway, he said his Dad was out there, well, he was, but six doors up and I couldn't see him till I went out of my gate.
I ran upsatirs to check on the three elder children coralled in the empty bath and then went out and approached the man, saying that I didn't think it suitable his child was knoocking, etc. etc. He said he wasn't alone, he was there and I said, he wasn't, he was six doors up and I didn't know he was there till I asked the child. He then, pleasantly enough, thanked me for my concern.
As I went back to my house, I saw a woman and girl on the opposite side of the road, with a similar looking bit of paper, chatting to someone.
Oh, and the sponsorship seemed to be a badly photocopied page asking for money for food and medicines for a chihuahua, with no obvious thing they were going to do.
I phoned 101 and couldn't get through and had my own children to deal with. I have (just) got through and they made a note, but said no crime had been committed and, if it happened again, I ought to try and call at the time. I replied I had but there was only so long I could abandon my own children. He said it would be passed to a relevant neighbourhood team and a note had been made in case it happened again.
Tbh, there are two things here for me: firstly, the child knocking and, secondly, the fact, esp. with the woman and child opposite and the sheet I saw, that it might be a scam; if they got £1 from every house on our street, they'd have £250-ish!
I have decided to call the school (I googled it, it exists roughly where he said and it fits (i.e. it's Catholic and they had Irish accents)).
Should I have done anything else? Did I do too much? Uncertain ......
AIBU?
Was I? Uncertain .....
TwoAndTwoEqualsChaos · 02/10/2013 20:59
Well, I asked AIBU, and I appear to be to most of you. I would, however, rather be flamed for being too interventionalist than to have merely said "No" to a seven year-old and spent the evening wondering if he had come to harm cold-calling others in the dusk, to all intents and purposes (until I asked) parentless and alone
Well, it wasn't either 'call 101' & the school OR ^^ that was it? 
You could have said 'No thank you. Where are your parents?' Then watched while he went to them :)
Yes, I could have, Chipping. Still not convinced about the whole sponsorship thing, though, and it was the combination of the two which made me .
Ok, Gordys.
No, Tweasels, that's what I said ....... Thanks for reading the op 
.....
I wouldn't have rang 101 or trapped the children in an empty bath and the Irish Catholic thing sounded a bit
However, all those things aside, I don't think I would sponsor my own children in those circumstances. Fucking chihuahua medicine?? So on that basis YANBU.
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It's the Republic of Ireland, it's the name of the country and we're quite proud of the first bit so you can't go wrong using it 
You've not being having a successful night though so I'm going to stop winding you up now
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