To report to social?

[notsurewhattodoforthebest]

I'm not sure what to do for the best. I'm concerned about a neighbour and their child but I'm also not in the business of reporting people and spilting up families.

This particular child was outside last night (they are 8 by the way for context) playing with a sharp kitchen knife stabbing rubbish in the street. I saw what was happening and asked if there mother knew. She shouted out the window "it's fine I said they could."
When I say kitchen knife, I mean a very sharp one that could easily kill someone.
This child is allowed to do whatever they like, regularly plays with air soft BB guns in the street, climbs on peoples cars and damages them (has damaged mine in the past - yes I made their mother pay and rightfully so!) Basically just never supervises them at all can't even do the school run so they are known to the local police as the child does regular dissapearing acts.

AIBU to report this to social? I'm shocked and felt sick when I saw them to the point I watched from my window incase they stabbed them selves.

If they are known to the local police that social services will already be aware.

Some children are taught to use knives safely (this was clearly not the case with the BB gun); an eight year old in hours would be comfortable using a knife safely.

How do you know the knife was very sharp? You cannot actually tell that unless you feel it, or use it to cut with things.

No one is going to be killed by a child stabbing rubbish with a knife.

Knife skills are important, and are in many countries developed from pre schooler age - also in many families with helping to prepare and cook meals.

I really don't think stabbing rubbish in the street is comparable to learning valuable knife skills that can be used on the kitchen they may not kill someone but someone could still be hurt very badly!

My point was that a lot of children know how to handle knives properly without harming themselves or anyone else.

The mother was aware what she was doing - and was close enough to hear the conversation with OP via an open window (and could therefore probably see the child too).

Yes I would pass on this info.

@WhaleyAwesome, your response is mind boggling!

My 8 year old is learning appropriate knife skills at home. She will spread butter on sandwiches, maybe help to peel carrots, slice the cucumber if we are making a salad.

Being supervised while doing these activities is positive and all part of healthy development.

Being allowed to play outside with what the OP observed to be a sharp knife, without adult supervision, is very very different. No one is suggesting the child would be likely to hurt someone else. But what is very likely is that they could hurt themselves. By falling on it, misjudging their aim etc.

The OP does need to 100% know that the knife was very sharp. Watching from afar it did not present as being a blunt butter knife etc

YADNBU you can't have a weapon in a public space and that's what it is.

Montessori style safe use of a kitchen knife in a kitchen is very different from a long kitchen knife in a street environment.

@WhaleyAwesome

My point was that a lot of children know how to handle knives properly without harming themselves or anyone else.

The mother was aware what she was doing - and was close enough to hear the conversation with OP via an open window (and could therefore probably see the child too).

Just as the OP does not know how sharp the knife is without touching it / cutting with it, they also do not know the child’s skills when using a knife.

If hazard a guess though that most children in the U.K. at this age are not taught the skills you are alluding to

To be honest if I saw a kid playing in the street with a knife, I’d ring 999. Not really sure why you didn’t. You don’t need to bother yourself with being in the business of splitting families up or not, that’s the role of the judge.

It's also a public nuisance if he's splitting open rubbish bags. Little tearaway poor kid!

Yes I would if it really was a sharp kitchen knife as you say.

they also do not know the child’s skills when using a knife.

Yes but the Mother does... And the mother clearly responded it's fine.

@Fncottonrrrrgh we don't have a single Montessori safe knife in this house - they've all learnt through our kitchen knives.

Anyway, regardless, SS "The Social" will be aware of this family if there's been so much police contact.

I have an 8yr old. He can use a knife in the kitchen to peel and chop vegetables.
Stabbing rubbish in the street is not a healthy use of a knife, and it is having a weapon in public place.
Report to the police, and the local safeguarding team/his school’s designated safeguarding lead.

Report it to the police. Using a weapon in a public place is a crime that is taking place now. So 999.

"The social" won't be in until Tuesday by which point it'll all be over.

The police will make social services aware and they can do what they need to do from there.

Stabbing rubbish in the street with a kitchen knife is akin to learning safe knife skills now?! What planet are some people on.

YANBU

Yes I would contact social services or nspcc or even your local PCSO as it’s not a one off event-if they are already on radar with social services anyone if those agencies will be able to pass on relevant details.

Learning knife skills at 8 is about cutting up apples or chopping veg under adult supervision.

I’d also have rung the police. You be out in the street with a knife however old you are. The police can pass the information on to Social Services.

The first reply is insane! The lengths some people will stretch to just to be able to tell the OP that she’s BU 😂.

The mother was aware what she was doing - and was close enough to hear the conversation with OP via an open window (and could therefore probably see the child too)

I can't believe anyone thinks this makes it okay for a child to be out in the street playing with a kitchen knife.

This place sometimes

"Oh it's okay Mrs Smith, I told little Johnny he could play with his Dad's shotgun in the street, I can see him from the window".

If they’re known to the police social services will already be aware. If the child is walking round with a knife I’d actually call the police as that would get a quicker response.

I would. The child could have fallen over while holding the knige and stabbed themselves! Why on earth would a child be allowed a sharp kitchen knife? The idea of it is giving me real anxiety.

If you were genuinely worried that a child was going to stab themselves then you should have, of course, called 999 as well.

Knife skills are taught in many families a lot sooner than 8 - that was my point.

I am OK with everyone disagreeing with me though; the kids mother was in earshot via a window, the OP has curtain twitched rather than doing anything to actually stop this incredibly life threatening situation where she was worried a child would be stabbed or someone would be killed.

If I genuinely thought a child was going to stab themselves, I would have removed said knife, phoned an emergency response team, rather than watching out the windows.

But, maybe just me?

Having a knife in a public place can be illegal I thought?

I know carrying one is described as illegal because I was wondering what to do on a birthday picnic about cutting the cake

But if this child is in the garden it isn't an issue.

If they are in public stabbing things with a knife I'd call the police.

@itsgettingwierd it's not actually a blanket ban on knives at all - everyone just seems to think that.

You can take knives to birthday parties as long as you don't threaten anyone with them along the way! There are numerous reasons why knives may be in public

Yes yes its totally fine OP for a child to be playing on the street with a sharp knife - his mum was probably watching from the window and he was most likely perfecting his sous chef skills stabbing rubbish

OP I would have phoned the police and it would have been confiscated as your not actually allowed to be out in the street doing that shit. Not much they can do now though.

You have to laugh sometimes. Mumsnet is the only place where a poster could be treated like the devil incarnate for giving her child Calpol a few nights in a row when teething and someone else be told that as long as Mum is in earshot, leaving your child to play outside with a knife is acceptable.

@WhaleyAwesome

If you were genuinely worried that a child was going to stab themselves then you should have, of course, called 999 as well.

Knife skills are taught in many families a lot sooner than 8 - that was my point.

I am OK with everyone disagreeing with me though; the kids mother was in earshot via a window, the OP has curtain twitched rather than doing anything to actually stop this incredibly life threatening situation where she was worried a child would be stabbed or someone would be killed.

If I genuinely thought a child was going to stab themselves, I would have removed said knife, phoned an emergency response team, rather than watching out the windows.

But, maybe just me?

It's not about disagreeing.

We take a group of severely disabled students out and teach them knife skills and lighting fires (and many of the parents take some convincing!).

But having a knife on a street and stabbing things with it is illegal. Regardless of what the mother thinks.

It's no different to if he punched someone. The mother can say she allows him to express himself that way - but it's still not legally allowed!