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.

@ManifestDestinee No I am not trolling - I am pointing out you are speculating and stating things that have not been said.

Which is correct - none of that was said in the OP.

I do get that people don't like being corrected, but let's not start saying things have been said by the OP when they haven't.

@@ManifestDestinee Also troll hunting is against TGs...

The mother obviously doesn't give a shit. PLEASE report this.
The child has a history of running away.
The child / family is known to by police.
The child damages people's possessions / climbs over & damages cars.

But all fine to play with a SHARP knife in the road stabbing rubbish. Yep. All good. Just because mummy was looking out the window.

Jesus fucking wept the worlds gone mad.

It’s completely inappropriate for any child of any age to be on the street playing with a kitchen knife. I agree the world has gone mad.

@WhaleyAwesome I wash my used knives and put them in the utensil drawer.
Apologies I must have missed the part where the OP said the child has a job where carrying a knife is legal. There aren’t that many professions where you can legally carry a knife.

Good reasons for carrying a knife or weapon
Examples of good reasons to carry a knife or weapon in public can include:

taking knives you use at work to and from work
taking it to a gallery or museum to be exhibited
if it’ll be used for theatre, film, television, historical reenactment or religious purposes, for example the kirpan some Sikhs carry
if it’ll be used in a demonstration or to teach someone how to use it
A court will decide if you’ve got a good reason to carry a knife or a weapon if you’re charged with carrying it illegally.

So perhaps READ the original post properly, to ensure understanding of the facts.

If you are concerned, report - and there is enough reason to, from what you say. Someone will come and assess, and it’s their job to provide advice to the parents if needed.

[quote WhaleyAwesome]@Muchasgracias Mother of said child in the street was aware.

Oh right, because of the previous involvement, said mother is not allow to make decisions about what their child can and cannot do in your eyes?[/quote]
@WhaleyAwesome how on earth have you leapt to that conclusion? I’ve said nothing about the mother, however, what is true is that while she knows her child better than any of us, she can’t know that the knife won’t end up hurting another child somehow or other.

I’m starting to think you’ve had previous involvement with SS yourself, such is your very defensive nature re that element of the thread (which to be honest hadn’t factored in my thinking through this situation whatsoever).

@Suzi888 -

That's not what you said why I pulled you up for it though...

You said "an adult cannot carry a knife"

You yourself, have now clarified that's not correct.

@Muchasgracias Quite happy to tell you I have had previous SS involvement - not something to be ashamed of; had to go through a child safeguarding assessment too after a crime was committed against me.

Any further questions?

Oh, it wasn't be that was charged with the criminal prosecution, and not our children who were deemed at risk...

@Suzi888

Putting knives in a utensil drawer, particularly if you have several - is one of the worst things you can do if you have young people in the house because you cannot quickly count how many knives you have, and therefore if one goes missing you may not realise.

I have zero idea if you have young people in the house - but it's one of the biggest risks for young people getting hold of kitchen knives and parents not knowing, and then them being used in knife crime.

Always should be visible and able to do a quick count - this is so parents / carers can quickly notice if there's one missing.

The vast majority of teenagers who are involved with knife crime do not know the dangers of what they are doing, and do not know how a single stab wound can kill so quickly.

Always should be visible and able to do a quick count

I’m not sure being visible means in your 8yo’s hand outside in your street stabbing rubbish? Dc should not be outside with knives unless in very specific circumstances with very close supervision (like some kind of craft). Dicking about in the street with a knife is a police matter.

I know how to use a knife safely, but I don't wander around the street stabbing at rubbish with a kitchen knife. If I did I think my neighbours may first ask what I was doing, and then phone then phone the police, even if DH said he knew I was wondering around with a knife.

@LynetteScavo Kid wasn't "wandering" according to the OP - kid one was on a single street - no mention of kid wandering with said knife.

@WhaleyAwesome what's your take on the BB gun and climbing on cars? Just wondering..

@BoredatHome321 already answered on BB guns.

Kids climbing on stationary cars - not an issue in some situations - but should not be damaged which the mother paid for - so clearly she did not agree with this behaviour, and should be with owners consent and in non harmful situations...

But I didn't grow up in the UK and i accept the views here are different on the cars situation.

But you will see I have already said about BB guns.

Kids climbing on stationary cars - not an issue in some situations*

I'm dreaming this conversation aren't I? Please tell me I'm dreaming it?!?!

@cricketmum84 IF YOU ARE DREAMING

Go back and read my full post which clearly follows up with:

"but should not be damaged which the mother paid for - so clearly she did not agree with this behaviour, and should be with owners consent and in non harmful situations...

But I didn't grow up in the UK and i accept the views here are different on the cars situation."

Talk about a lack of ability to read posts in full, let's hope it's just while you are dreaming but christ knows how you live a life whilst ignoring most of the information shared?

me that you are entirely batshit. - oh insulting for anyone who has a mental health diagnosis.

So it's fine if a neighbours child wants to climb all over my car while it's sat on my drive

Read my post again, I very clearly said - "but should not be damaged which the mother paid for - so clearly she did not agree with this behaviour, and should be with owners consent and in non harmful situations...

But I didn't grow up in the UK and i accept the views here are different on the cars situation."

Do you know what owners consent means?

I suggest you report your own post for insult and because you clearly didn't comprehend that I said with owners consent.

[quote WhaleyAwesome]@Muchasgracias Quite happy to tell you I have had previous SS involvement - not something to be ashamed of; had to go through a child safeguarding assessment too after a crime was committed against me.

Any further questions?

Oh, it wasn't be that was charged with the criminal prosecution, and not our children who were deemed at risk...[/quote]
Of course it’s nothing to be ashamed of. But I think you are derailing the thread a little with your constant references to SS and your presumptions of how other posters perceive that information. Seems to have touched a nerve…

@Muchasgracias because there have been lots of assumptions regarding the SS involvement

You haven't touched a nerve at all; you just very clearly fall into the SS invovlment = crap parent category, as you've yet again shared when you said you think you had touched a name - when I clearly said, not ashamed, and any further questions?

No nerves touched, just check your assumptions perhaps?

You: think you had SS involvement previously

Me: Yes, not ashamed, any further questions

You: Clearly touched a nerve

Says more about you than me to most to be fair!

Knives are not toys for children to play with. This should never be normalised.

If children are to use knives, they should obviously be heavily supervised.

Huge safeguarding issues here.

Sorry but if this were my dc, skilled with a knife or not, they would not be in my driveway or garden stabbing rubbish let alone on my street.

First and foremost they could hurt themselves by accident. Stabbing rubbish is not controlled cutting like you do in the the kitchen.

Secondly, if they’re stabbing my rubbish and making a mess I wouldn’t be best pleased at having to clean up and even less so if they’re doing it to the neighbours’ rubbish.

Thirdly, and this assumes the child knows they shouldn’t stab anyone with a knife, if they’re not paying attention they could hurt a passer by.

Fourth, if they drop the knife and run in, another child could pick it up and hurt themselves.

If there was a genuine reason for my almost 8yr old to stab rubbish I’d be standing over her and not watching from the kitchen window.

I’m really interested in the fact teenagers don’t know a stab wound could cause death. I don’t disbelieve it but my 5 and 7 yr olds know not to touch sharp knives as they can cut themselves or chop their fingers off (they’ve known since little). When I was a teenager I learnt biology and learnt that all my vital organs were inside my body. I don’t expect my young children to put together the fact a stab to the body could rupture a vital organ (but they wouldn’t want to make anyone bleed anyway) but would expect a teenager to know that a stab to the body won’t cause just a superficial cut and there is the risk of death. Really interested to know what exactly they think would happen by stabbing someone?

@WhaleyAwesome - it's possible to wander around on only one street- no sure what your point was there

And climbing on stationary cars is never OK (unless the owner has specifically given permission).