I have never posted on this board before but really need some opinions, I've been thinking about this for a few days and really don't know what to do. (Could be long)
Have been in my current house for just over a year and there is a young mum who lives a few doors up (guessing about 20ish). She has a lovely DD who I think is about 2.5 and we used to see them very rarely. Any time I pass her, I always say hello and my DD says hello to hers, sometimes she answers sometimes she doesn't.
Recently, I have been passing her in the mornings when I'm putting my DD in the car to go to pre-school and shes normally going in or out of the house and I have noticed that her house is a bit of a state inside, papers lying on the floor, having to shove the door to get inside etc etc.
A few days ago, I passed her when she was going into her house, she had her DD on the back of her bike and was trying to get the door open, I walked past just as she did and the stench that came out was absolutely overwhelming! As she was trying to push the bike inside I saw what her house was really like inside, no carpets, no furniture, floors and walls absolutely filthy and covered in what looked like mud. Stuff lying everywhere, wires, cups, clothes and as far as I could see, she didn't even have anything to sit on. There literally was no space to walk on the floor.
I was horrified to be honest and it just broke my heart to think of her taking her little girl into the house.
I don't know anything about this mum and her DD apart from what other neighbours have mentioned but I am really concerned about them both living in that house.
There have been a few more things that have made me wonder....
A few weeks ago I was taking DD to pre-school and could clearly hear the child sreaming, really wailing from inside the house (windows open, curtains closed as usual). Her mum was screaming 'SIT DOWN' over and over again which was making her scream even louder. I took DD to school, came back about 30 mins later and it was still going on.
There seem to be two people who visit this mum regularly, considered by the neighbours to be her mum and grandmother. They seem to come and pick them both up and go out for the day. I have observed the DD standing on the footpath outside her house completley naked, not even a nappy or pants on while the visitors look in the boot of the car for clothes for the DD. I have also heard them banging on her front door for a good half hour while the DD cries until she answers the door.
Her direct neighbours mentioned to me that they were concerned for a while because the little girl cried all night for weeks on end but it has stopped now.
I must say, I feel awful for posting this and I feel so nosey for having watched them for the past few weeks but something just doesn't seem right. I haven't mentioned any of my concerns to anyone else on the street or tried to get more information as there is a lot of gossiping that goes on.
The way that I see it I have 3 options:
I can just mind my own business and stop being so nosey
I can try and strike up a conversation, maybe invite her and her DD over and try to be friendly and see if theres anything I can do to help. She seems to be a very private person though but she does look like she isn't taking care of herself either, she always seems really flustered when I speak to her
I can report this to someone because I am concerned about them both.
What would you do in this situation? My gut says I have to do something.