Would you have said something?

[Toast3]

OH and me we're in a busy cafe yesterday having lunch. There was a family on the table across from us with a couple of small children. When they left I noticed that they had left a toy car on the table. It was busy in there and I thought I'm sure the waitress will put it to one side and they will pop back for it. With that a young boy of about 5 who was with his family at another table came over and started playing with the car. His family were packing up to leave and they let him just take it .
I didn't want to get involved so said nothing. We left shortly after so I don't know if the cars rightful owner came back or not.
Should I have said something? It's niggling me!

Personally I would have taken the car to staff the moment I saw it. I might have said something to the theiving family too...something like

Oh that's a boy's who'se coming back for it in a moment

Or a similar white lie.

I wish I had said something now but it all happened quickly...

no, bit pointless, was it of any value?
and how long since they left?

No wouldn't be worth the conflict. If it's a very special car they would have been more careful. Lucky find for next child.

My son left a red tractor on the table of a cafe yesterday we think by mistake! It was a Poundland one so I wouldn't have gone back for it if it makes you feel any better.

Maybe it was a toy belonging to the cafe? I would have taken it to the staff. No point worrying now!

I think it was wrong of the parents to let the child take it. Surely that teaches him that it's OK to take whatever he wants whenever he wants.

Did the family know he'd taken it? DD once found a little plastic ring on a cafe table, the sort of thing you get in a chucky egg or Christmas cracker, I told her to leave it because it wasn't hers. When we got home I found she'd stashed it in her coat pocket instead. Small children can be like little magpies when it comes to found "treasure".

It was a little Thomas tank car - matchbox size...
It all happened quickly. The tables were busy, the waitress was buzzing about. I noticed that it had been left / forgotten and the table needed clearing (waitress was serving next table) and was about to clear the table in question but the next family got up and we're putting bags together etc (they were about 6 of them) and their little boy came over to the table and started playing with the car, running it along the table etc...I assumed, when they left, they'd just leave it there, but they didn't. ☹️

Bearfrills: they saw him playing with it...

Some people are just idiots and selfish. Chances are you would have been yelled at if you said anything too.

My DD played with the ring and when we left was told to "leave it there, its not yours" but still took it.

I thibthink harsh to call a family out and judge them on the internet when you don't know whether they told the child to take it or whether the child did it for himself and they had to have a talk about stealing when they realised what he'd done?