To be p****d off at a stranger moving my trolley while DD is in it

[piximon]

I was out shopping in Sainsbury's with my mum this morning (Dh had a car crash last night so couldn't use his car). We took separate trolleys but went around together. DD1 (3, but tiny and doll like) was riding in my trolley. Saw something I wanted while at the bottom of an aisle so told my mum to watch the trolley while I got it. She waited at the bottom of the aisle, and being a joker said to DD "excuse me please little girl" at which point a stranger started moving my trolley away. My mum followed her and then said "oh DD where are you going?" the woman stopped and said "oh do you know her" and then ran off.
My mum was so shocked she didn't think to shout at the woman. When I was paying the woman saw us and ran off again, at which point I started to feel sick and we left the shop (am 14wks pg). After I got home my mum told me the full story and Dh says we should have reported her. I don't know whether to give benefit of doubt that she was just embarrassed so didn't think to apologise. Or whether I should have reported her.

I think you are all jumping to some really far-fetched conclusions.

If she was an abductor she wouldn't be doing her shopping in Sainsburys after attempting this.

It was just a case of her moving the trolley out of the way. I do this all the time in the supermarket when someone parks their trolley in an awkward place. She probably thought she was helping then realised her mistake and was mortified.

We're not all jumping, Eric.

I agree Eric.

Piximom, please don't let this get to you. The woman in question probably feels stupid about this today, but would be mortified to know that we're discussing her actions as potenial child abduction.

FWIW I often move other peoples' trolleys out of the way for my own convenience, and would move one for someone else too, and I'm NOT a child abductor

Agree with BrassicMonkey - she probably thought YOUR MUM was doing something odd and was attempting to remove your dd from harm. When she realised her mistake she probably didn't want to be accused of anything so scarpered!

piximon, what a scarey story.

I read the whole thread, and I cant really give any opinion from what was said. I think you had to be there, and see the woman's body language and teh exact situation to make a judgement. Someone would need a damn good reason to move a trolley with one of my children in it though. (Like it being parked in front of the ice cream cabinet or something.)

lol not changing any routines over it. Usual routine is to leave DH at home with the four DCs and go shopping alone, a rare few hours of relative peace and quiet a week. Today I took DD1 as she needed new shoes and the shop is out of town. I think if DD1 hadn't been scoffing she would have screamed when the lady went near her, she's going through a scared of strangers stage. My mum's used to being told off so don't worry about her. She's from "oop north" and has a very thick skin which I sadly didn't inherit.

I meant the old lady and the cry of Thief was scarey, btw, not (necessarily) Sainsburys

I would report it tbh, it sounds very worrying. I wouldnt move a trolley with someone elses child in it, if i inadvertantly did i would be mortified.

This reminds me though of something that happened to my dad, not really the same but sort of. My dad LOVED children and never did quite get that you have to be careful how your actions are interpreted. One day on the way home from work (dressed in very obvious orange railway overalls!) he saw one of the local children, probably walking back from the shop and was messing around with her, they were havinga a race, he pretended to grab her arm to pull her back and at this she laughed and ran home. My dad walked home, in the same road, thought no more of it. Then he went out again to the shop, he got half way down the road to have a police car screech to a halt in front of him and the police explained that someone had reported the "incident". He was of course able to take them to the childs house and she said they were just playing around, he knew the girls mum who confirmed that he was a family acquantaince. The police apologised to my dad but he said that he would rather someone make a mistake which can be easily sorted like that, than not report something suspiciouis and it be something sinister. I think he was a tad embarrased though

I also think the woman was moving her away from your mum. I think I may have intervened like the woman did if I saw it from her eyes also. I would also have been mortified if it turned out that the 'stranger' attempting to speak to the child was actually her grandmother!

Piximon, no one except your mum can decide whether this woman was trying to abduct your daughter. She's the one who saw it. Does she think it should be reported? And if she's at all dubious about it, she should err on the side of caution and let the police look at it.

I can't say if I trust my own judgement on the issue at the moment. DH crashed into a wall last night on his way home from work (he is fine, but I was still really upset) so I couldn't sleep, combined with watching Torn on ITV the other night, I could be jumping at shadows. DH was very uneasy after my mum's description of events though and he's usually level headed and doesn't like causing a scene. Of course he's also affected by the crash and didn't sleep well either so thought I'd canvass some opinions. Like I said I'd hate to point the finger at someone unjustly and need to clear my head before trying to get some sleep tonight.

Why don't you call the police in the morning, they will be the best people to judge if it sounds like anything untoward.
It does sound quite odd that she ran to be honest and I would definetly report it, but I also understand that when your under stress you imagine the worst as well.
The police will reassure you one way or another.