is it normal to think of dumping your child with a stranger before preschool?

[BarefootDancer]

Took my friend's ds (AKA 'Tom') 4y to preschool this morning. Waiting in the lobby for the 10 minutes before preschool opens, a woman turns up with her dd. I don't know them as I dont go there often and was only doing a favour for my friend. Tom doesn't give any sign of knowing them either.
The woman says to her dd, but clearly in my hearing 'you can wait with Tom's mummy (meaning me) coz I have to go to work'....
I say 'I'm not Tom's mummy, I'm a friend...'
She does not carry on the conversation (she must have realised I was not looking helpful..). If she had asked me directly to look after her child, I would have refused, as I don't know her or the child at all.
Weird, or do people normally do this kind of thing? What I find most weird is that she was telling her dd to wait with me instead of introducing herself and asking me.

My mum left ds with the shop assistant in a charity shop recently whilst she tried something on. I was a tad aghast when she told me, but she pointed out (a) she could hear ds the whole time and (b) the assistant had a broken leg and thus couldn't have run off with ds even if she'd wanted to! I probably wouldn't have done that, but I definitely wouldn't have left ds with someone who was with a child I vaguely knew ... no way.

I think the pre school should have a word with the mother or remind all parenst that they are responsible for their children on the preises until they are handed over to a member of staff.

This women obviously had no idea who parents were as she assumed you were the mother. Poor kid !

If she had asked directly I would have refused as well.. you could be leaving yourself wide open for problems.

Very strange actions. The child will think it is Ok to go with strangers when all the time as parents we are trying to enforce that it is wrong and prevent it.

Have to admit that like Shonaspurtle, althugh I think she should have asked you, I could imagine doing the same thing - and have done similar things to Shona. Maybe it's a Glasgow thing!

When ds was 11 months, we were in Skiathos and the nice Italian family (who we'd met on the beach the day before and who had been encahted by ds) offered to look after ds (who was sleeping in his sun tent) to allow dh and I to go for a swim, We jumped at the chance!

When he was 13 months old, we were in South Africa (Skiathos was a trial run and had been "free" with some holiday vouchers I had got as a bonus from work) and ds was playing up one lunch time. The restaurant staff whisked him away and was a given a tour of the kitchen and the outside gardens (a lot of the time out of sight) before lording it over everyone on the bar, being fed crisps , while we were able to enjoy our lunch.

I can remember being left in the primary school playground when I was very wee, while my mum went on to catch the train into Uni. it was normal for kids to be left in the playground in the 60s.

I think it is sad that we are now automatically distrustful of people with regard to kids (and other things!) - and I make a conscious effrot not to be.

Prettybird, the changing room assistants in Topshop in Arygle Street are good for watching the kids whilst you try on various outfits .
Agree that this woman was a bit out of order, maybe she was desperate?

I let random people mind my kids all the time. I don't go in for stranger danger at all.

That being said, I don't thrust my kids at random people without the random people's consent!

Good to kow Hoolgirl - but as ds is now 6, I think he's be a bit much of a handful!

But I'll echo NQC's comments.

I know that when my mum was new in this country, with a 3 year old (me) and a 1 year old (db), it was through random strangers helping her out that she made friends.

A stranger is only someone you don't know yet!

When I go clothes shopping (for me) with DS1 (5) I just bring books for him to read, and he sits in the corner of the shop, with my coat and bags, and reads. I wouldn't do this in a giant shop, as he might need the loo or something and not be able to find me, but it's fine in normal-sized stores.

I took ds to the cash and carry with me only to find that they'd changed the rules and no longer allowed pushchairs in. There was no way I could carry ds and move the huge trolley and he was fast asleep so the receptionist offered to have him behind the desk with her. It genuinely never occurred to me that there could be anything wrong with that. I didn't know her but I recognised her as having worked there for ages. Really, what was she going to do? She was working and the place is awash with cctv,you can see yourself on the monitor as you go in the door. I was just really grateful that I didn't have to drive all the way home again (1/2 hr) without any supplies. Ds even obligingly slept until I got back.

I agree that you do have to trust some people, (and I'm the sort of person who until very recently always took the children in with me to pay for petrol or buy a newspaper, even though they would only have been outside in a locked car and dd is almost 11). Obviously I want my children to be careful about putting themselves into dangerous situations but I would hate them to have the idea that everyone is a potential kidnapper or raving loony.