Realised we’d forgotten to return a library book, Ds offered to pop over.
The library is a few min from the house, if it wasn’t for buildings and trees I’d be able to see if from the door. The path there isn’t even on a road but across a patch of green. Ds is 9, particularly confident and has his head screwed on. The green is reasonably busy with footfall due to buses and a station being there as well as being a route to shops. He often pops to the corner shop in the day, they know him and are friendly and will walk to very local friends. It’s a city so hardly quiet.
In my world it’s quite normal at 9 providing the child is streetwise enough? No Sn
I’ve had a phonecall from the library, didn’t recognise the voice- we know most of them, having got the house number from his card. She felt she has to ring me as a safeguarding risk, that he was alone and then he’d also walked off. Ds reports she asked him to stay with her while she rung but he said ‘sorry I haven’t got a phone and my mum will worry if I’m late back. Not being rude but I don’t know you either so I don’t want to stay with you’. He said he then left her quickly, she wasn’t on the desk but walking in the library. His view was he wasn’t staying with some random woman. Said he want scared of her, and there were other people to go to if he had been, but he just didn’t want to stay with a stranger just in case. I presume she was in uniform but he said he didn’t really look. The only mitigating thing I can think of is maybe he looks 8? But he acts 9 or older. Knowing him he probably had a dismissive tone, but wouldn’t ever be rude in words or raise his voice. Just not focused fully on someone