To have recorded this and now be considering social services?

[MxJackMonroe]

I went to a beer garden today with the boy (6) and the dog (on a lead, well behaved) to kill an hour of time.
I spent that hour listening to a 'woman' (looked like a teenage girl) growling at her kids, 2 under 4, shrieking, calling them fucking little cunts, snatching toys off them for no reasons, barking at them, encouraging them to scare the dog 'to see if he was friendly', as she downed pints and shots, and left when a drinks tray flew at my face and she came over to retrieve it...not to apologise, as I assumed one of the kids had thrown it, but to laugh in my face as she said "well they wouldn't fucking share it so I fucking threw it away innit." No apology. Laughing at herself for nearly clouting a stranger in the face with a tray. I'm usually quite ballsy but Jesus, she seemed insane and quite volatile, so, feeling extremely sorry for her kids, I quietly left.
I've just had a text from my bank to say my bank card has been fraudulently used. I checked my bag. My wallet - which was on the table in the pub garden, is not there. The little scrunge not only terrified my dog and threw a drinks tray at my face and screamed at her kids all afternoon, it seems she nicked my wallet too.
I'm meant to move house tomorrow. I need to pay £2,200 that I have worked my arse off for, to a letting agents at 10am. Luckily for me I can go to my bank with ID and get it out. Unluckily for her, I left my phone on the table recording SB playing with the dog (making cute memories to listen to when I'm down) and caught all her shit in there too.
First move, calling the pub to see if they have CCTV in the garden.
Second stop, if she can be identified, social services?
I am a genuinely reasonable, decent person. But Jesus Christ, this thing hit all my nerves today. And her kids deserve her getting some help.

[DesolateWaist]

The thing is, as said up thread, it doesn't matter if the op is a well known person or Joan from nextdoor, the circumstances are the same.

[SouthWestmom]

How did the bank know it was fraudulent? Did she buy a ready meal?

[KimmySchmidtsSmile]

As to the situation, you are describing...
A teen girl (not sure why you mentioned her age) in charge of her two toddlers swearing, drinking, being verbally abusive, mentally cruel, and physically abusive to you in public. So God knows what happens behind closed doors.
You have a recording of this (which cannot be used as evidence if she had no idea she was being recorded).
You suspect she robbed you.
So...police report. CCTV. and mention the above ^
Playing devil's advocate, she might have been at the end of her rope, she might be under supported, overwhelmed or have a myriad of problems. But nonetheless the kids are vulnerable so any support coming their way would be a start.

[KimmySchmidtsSmile]

Oh and very sorry for your dog. Inciting kids to provoke animals makes my blood boil.

[Houseofmirth66]

So she really did describe the woman as a scrunge and assume she was a thief. My mistake. Jack doesn't sound half as nice here as she does in The Guardian.

[elephantoverthehill]

Houseofmirth my cup of mirth runneth over.

[Tomselleckhaskindeyes]

Definitely report to the police. She is probably known to the authorities anyway. As for going to the pub.... I can think of at least three pub beer gardens that are naice with play equipment! Imagine that!

[BillSykesDog]

Playing devil's advocate, she might have been at the end of her rope, she might be under supported, overwhelmed or have a myriad of problems.

Bingo! Line! Just need DV for the full house!

[BillSykesDog]

Scrunge is dirty or unpleasant, not a scrounger.

I think it's a pretty fair assumption that she stole the wallet given the tray throwing shenanigans which was likely engineered to facilitate pinching of said wallet.

[KimmySchmidtsSmile]

Ach, we're all allowed to be human. I don't know the word 'scrunge' but if I had had my wallet nicked, had a tray lobbed at me and witnessed parenting that made mine mine look good, I'd probably be calling them worse than that. That said, I do growl a lot myself (when not hissing) but on another better organised day, with playdo or bag of books, you'd almost think I was competent. I think most people need to vent on here sometimes and we all have situations where we judge or are judged whether that be on appearance, conduct or viewpoint. Calling your kids cunts is setting the bar pretty low.

[KimmySchmidtsSmile]

^that was to house.
Bill you know what devil's advocate means, right?!

[HoneyDragon]

I agree with the previous poster who suggested calling the NSPCC for advice.

Equally, I'df the police take it furyner they can notify SS.

I went to the pub the day before I moved. I'm sorry about that. But they had plates, forks and food and stuff and I didn't.

I thought that's what we did. Pub or pizza out the box. Either/Or

[MxJackMonroe]

I was called a scrunge for years at school.
It really is me, I'm logged in through my personal facebook account. Hi.

I'm quite nice. I also had to calm down a quite-jumpy-anyway vizsla who has only been with me 24 hours, an upset and quieted 6 year old, and my bank.

To the person who screenshot this post and tweeted it at me, what were you hoping to achieve?

And I wasn't 'covertly recording' anyone. Me and the boy make audio recordings of happy times and we play them back when we are having slightly more pooey times. Reading, singing, cooking together, him learning to finger knit. I like it better than taking photos. I was recording - audio only - him throwing a battered squeaky pterodactyl for a dog we only have for 5 days. Before all the shit kicked off. I don't go around recording strangers ffs. I'm busy enough.

[MxJackMonroe]

I wasn't judging the Mum for being young, I was describing her. I could also have said she was ginger, but that wouldn't mean I think all ginger mums are awful...! Not sure why everyone's so keen to pull me apart here. Maybe I do need an anonymous username again.

[MxJackMonroe]

I mean who hurls drinks trays across pub gardens anyway?

[BillSykesDog]

Yes, I know exactly what Devil's Advocate means Kimmy. I was just pointing out that back on the first page I predicted the predictable that someone would trot along to excuse child abuse and theft with the maybe she was having a bad day/is unhappy etc,etc justifications that always get wheeled out on MN whenever a mother is seen behaving abusively.

Prefacing it with 'devil's advocate' doesn't change the fact that it's the same old predictable shite.

[HoneyDragon]

Ach, don't sweat it. It's like advanced regular bashing. Having any sort of recognisable/tediously stuck to name means, according to mnet experts, you are fawned over, in a clique, a mean girl and gets you special privileges from the big red button pushers.

[BillSykesDog]

You should have said you'd been calling your kid a cunt, getting drunk in charge of children, throwing trays at people and robbing wallets Jack. Some posters would would have been falling over themselves to tell you what a great Mum you were.

But you've committed the Cardinal MN crime of being 'judgemental' and even worse being concerned about these kids when actually you should have been concerned about the mother who is clearly the victim in all of this.

[MxJackMonroe]

So last week I was leaving the train station and saw a drunk young man screaming in the face of and spitting on a homeless guy, who sat passively avoiding eye contact while this young man provoked him. Other people were standing in their shop doorways watching. It was early afternoon. After observing that the drunk young man was very unsteady on his feet, so didn't pose much of a threat, I walked over and sat next to the homeless guy. I talked to him. I offered him a drink from my bag. The drunk guy yelled a bit more, but with less conviction, and aimed a kick at us both before storming off yelling over his shoulder. I asked the homeless guy where he was staying tonight, gave him cash for 3 nights at a hostel and some grub, and advised him to move before the drunk bastard came back.
I am short but I am generally not afraid of assholes, and I can't ignore gross bullying or injustice.
but in that situation if I had had my son with me I would not have been able to intervene for fear for his safety.
So today, against all of my instincts, I just quietly left the beer garden when the parents behaviour became too volatile and unpredictable, and yeah, I had a go later on Mumsnet.
So shoot me down, because I'm clearly a massive, massive cunt.
Goodnight.

[babajuice]

I'm just going to respond in relation to the original post. I only read the first page, so I apologise if I miss anything crucial that has been revealed since then.

Yes, ask the pub about their CCTV and let them know your wallet was stolen. With regards to the woman's behaviour towards her children - I know a social worker, I've not asked her advice but I feel certain that there will be someone you can report it to. If not SS then there will be somewhere.

And there's nothing wrong with passing the time in a pub garden, to those who had an issue with it. It was a sunny day, it was an hour. For me, the issue isn't being in the pub garden, it's the rude lady being abhorrent to her children. Also the stolen wallet, which may or may not be that woman. Hope you get to the bottom of it OP

[KoalaDownUnder]

Nah, you're not the massive cunt.

I recognised your username in the OP and thought ah, this could get interesting. Hoped people either wouldn't notice, or wouldn't use it to be grandstanding tossers. Was disappointed.

You're quite right, and I'd report the cow to wherever is appropriate.

There are no mitigating circumstances that justify treating a child like that. None.