DH leaves DS (7rs) in shop alone

[anotherglass]

DH went to supermarket yesterday with DS7. When they got to checkout DH realised he has left debit card in the car, in the car park.

The shop was not our local store but a large hypermarket where DS1 had not been before.

Instead of taking DS (7yrs) with him to collect the card, he left him at the till with the shopping trolley, next to the cashier. This was at a time of day when the store was extremely busy. In all he was left for about 5-7mins.

DS waited by the till but later told me daddy had left him as he was scared.

I am livid at DH for not taking DS with him to the car but he says he is OK with his decision and would do it again.

If I had seen a child left at a till by themselves in a big supermarket I would certainly be raising an eyebrow but he does not in any way acknowledge his decision as putting his son at risk.

AIBU

I'd have done what your husband did actually.

My 7 year old would be fine standing guard by the trolley, and it saves the assistant wondering whether you'll be back or not .

7 is probably the youngest age I'd do it though, any younger and I wouldn't trust them to stay put/raise a fuss/not panic, as appropriate.

What do you think your son was at risk from, by the way?

Sounds like your DS was old enough to stay with the trolley and I would think would be safe enough for 5 minutes.
But he was scared so on that basis it was the wrong decision to leave him and YANBU

Sorry, think you are overreacting, better to leave him with the trolly and the supermarket assistant than weave back full through a car park full of cars. At 7, my DH would do this (more likely to leave kids somewhere for 10 min than I am).

Either solution would have been fine.

YABU - he was much quicker for not taking your DS who was in a safe place.

YANBU.

Doesn't matter whether your husband was happy with his decision, your child was not.

Given that your husband has said he intends to do it again, I would tell your son that if it happens again he should tell someone who works in the shop that his daddy has left him behind, so that your son can at least be watched over by a responsible adult. And with a bit of luck they'll tell your husband exactly how irresponsible he is.

I thought I was going to read about children being abandoned in shops wile people went to the pub.

Maybe a word to dh about considering ds's feelings, if he was a bit scared and a word to ds about What To Do If.....

but otherwise I probably couldn't get overly exercised about this.

Why take the risk of the 7 year old wandering off in a place where he hasn't been before, which is a hypermarket, not a little local shop where people know him. It was busy. There are some situations where I would also feel comfortable leaving DS for a few minutes but not as described yesterday.

while not wile.....I have a verrrrrry shit old laptop and half the keys do not work.

If your child was happy yabu but as your child was unhappy & scared yadnbu!

But it's a bit circular isn't it, if the mum anxiously questions the child afterwards, the child is likely to say they were scared- perhaps they really were scared. If children are never left alone even for 5 min, and taught that strangers are dangerous, they will be scared. Presumably a 7 year old isn't scared being left by parents at school, are they?

I doubt anyone thinks it likely that he was at risk from the shop workers, but it's very unfair of him to place tjat responsibility on the checkout assistant who alsp had her / his own job to do.

I think what your DH did was fine (better than both going, apparently abandoned trolley vanishing and having to do the whole shop again).

I wouldn't think 'abandoned child' if I saw one waiting by a trolley, I'd think "parent popped back for something" and that happens a lot.

I'd be more concerned right now about tackling why a 7 year old is scared to be alone in a busy place for a few minutes.

oh well, you OBVIOUSLY only want people to say YANBU

just tell your dh it's your baby your rules......isn't that how it goes? 3)

or you could discuss it with the pair of them like a real grownup.

but he was at the till with the trolley and a cashier not the middle of the store, and he knew where his dad had gone and that he would come back. I would have done the same tbh.

I see no problem with what your husband did. Your son is 7, not 5. I am constantly amazed on MN how overprotective people are of their children. What exactly is going to happen in that 10 minutes. As for your child being scared, what did he think was going to happen? My child is 5 and while I think that's a little too young to leave in the supermarket on her own she is sent down aisles on her own to pick up the groceries I want and knows then where to meet me. Where are MNetter children learning their life skills.

He was left with the cashier, not abandoned.
Yabu and a bit dramatic

It was DS who came to me to tell me DH had left him in the shop. He volunteered the information and that's when he told me he felt scared.

YANBU - you should beat your husband with a shitty stick.

When DS1 was 7 I would have done this. If I told him to stay where he was he would have done that. Can your DS not follow instructions?

Hope you show you're DH this thread

Your not you're