Did I do the right thing here?

[PostmanPatisacrappostman]

My dc has a school friend that lives just under 1/2 a mile away, who I'll call A, I only know where they live because I've drove past on the school run and seen them pulling off their drive. Don't really know the parents.

Now for context I happen to have seen this school friend playing out nearby our our house alone, and A has trick or treated here. The dc are both 8. So for all I know A is allowed out to play.

On Friday evening teatime this school friend knocks our door and asks if my dc can go to the park. My dc isn't allowed to the park alone for various reasons, too far, main roads etc.

I clocked that schoolfriend was alone and wasn't sure what to do, didn't want to send A off alone, my younger child was eating their tea still, I asked if A's parents knew they were here and A said yes. So I said they could play in our garden.

I asked A if I could have their mum or dads phone number but A said they didn't know it. After 10 minutes my dc and A came inside and said they were bored and hungry, I gave them both some fruit and they went upstairs to my dcs room. After another 10 minutes I decided I wasn't comfortable that A was here without me having spoke to the parents, so I said it was time to go and offered A a lift home. A refused and said they'd walk, but I decided I'd be better to see them home safely so I insisted I drove A home.

When I got there A's mum and dad came out and had a right go at me and at A, I tried to explain what had happened and how I wasn't sure whether A had been allowed out or not, and how I'd no problem with A coming over so long as the parents knew. It was clear they hadn't realised A was out and told me that of course A wasn't allowed out, being only 8, and shut the door on me.

I left feeling like I'd kidnapped their child and am now worried I did the wrong thing. I wish I'd taken A home immediately but my toddler was eating and it caught me off guard.

You are entirely innocent here. They owe you an apology and a thank you!

Do their child was probably missing for nearly an hour and neither of them had noticed? What piss poor parents.
You did nothing wrong at all. I suspect they may have been embarrassed because you took the child home when what they should have been was grateful.

My little DD is 7 years old we let her out in the front with friend and strict rules if she moves from out side my house we are to know, BUT by no means is she allowed of out street. The door is kept wide open at all times. Other kids her age go shop and wonder around with out the parents seeming to care.. I personally don't thing u did anything wrong, I do however think the other parents were extremely rude to you and out of order. At the end of the day if they were a concerned why hadn't they rang the police? Why wasn't they out looking? To me they made you look bad for the way the felt. You did nothing wrong.

Sounds like you did everything right and that A had either been out when he wasn't supposed to, or went further than he was supposed to. And we've all known a kid like that.

I think you did everything right but I could understand their concern about their child and maybe an inappropriate reaction to you out of panic. I'd expect an apology at some point for their reaction and actually a thank you for looking after their wandering child!

Thank you that's reassuring.

I think A had either wandered out of the house or out of their road and obviously wasn't supposed to, they were probably shocked but they didn't give me any chance to explain what had happened.

Dh thinks I'm worrying over nothing and to forget it.

I would have said,' If he isn't allowed to play out then why have I seen him doing that several times already before by my house and this is the last time I will bring him home!' Some people are never grateful.

They're dickheads. If one of mine buggered that far off without telling me and another parent brought them back I'd be enormously grateful.

You did nothing wrong. They were probably worried about A, embarrased to be "shown up" as not knowing where their child was, and possibly, if this sort of thing happens often, tired and struggling with A. All that can make some people a bit defensive and not in a place where they can appreciative the way they should have been for you bringing their child back to them. Your DH is right. Don't worry about it, try not to take it to heart.