Kid barged in my house

[Ontobetterthings]

I wfh today. I had a load of banging on the door. I answered it thinking it was a delivery. There was a boy there about 12. I thought maybe he come round to see my son though I didn't know him. My son is at sports camp today though

Before I could even say anything he ran in my house and barged past me and tried to get up the stairs. I grabbed him by the arm and asked him what he was doing. I was worried as my daughter was in bed and didn't want anyone I don't know upstairs.

I asked him repeatedly what he was doing and he wouldn't answer
He just kept trying to get up the stairs. I said you don't barge into people's houses. Eventually he said toilet. I was thinking perhaps he could go to my downstairs toilet but he ran off. I don't think English was his first language. I noticed he wasn't wearing any shoes either.

I just feel very shaken by the whole thing.

@Ontobetterthings

^ that.

you need to report it to the police. whether he's vulnerable or trouble.

id have tried to keep him in an arm lock & called the police.

Report it- I’d be shaken too.

Something similar happened to me years ago I think he was 10 he came through my front door and straight up my stairs into my living room, I asked him repeatedly what he was doing and his mum was at my door. He was non verbal autistic child and had no way of communicating with me, his mum explained and apologised. Maybe this boy that came into your home was also disabled op?

How do you keep someone in an arm lock AND call the police?

Please report this op for your sake and for the child's.

He was definitely looking for easily liftable valuables.

No point calling the police.

Lock your door in future.

It doesn't matter where you are, there aren't only thieves by the bloody "boat landings".

This is a child in need, whether he's a runaway or working for a burglary ring. Contact the police, they'll know who else needs to be involved and sort it. You just need to report.

lol, maybe she's ambidexterous!

Have you called the police yet?

Oh, I wasn't trying to imply boaters=thieves, but I was concerned a boat child was being forced into criminal activity.

It's a child, would you really be such a callous monster?

My mother had a young breathless boy, about 14 knock on her door around teatime on a Friday, he asked for her grandson by name who usually stayed on Friday but wasn't this weekend. He asked her for a glass of water and when she went through to the kitchen he pinched for purse and ran off. He was never found and her grandson said the name was that of a friend but not the description.

By "boat child" I assume you mean asylum seeker who is a minor.

Why has it become acceptable to all asylum seekers illegal immigrants and boat people. These are people. Other humans. It's utterly disrespectful.

12 and probably already a professional thief. Not his fault but not my problem. If she reports it he'll probably say she assaulted him when she grabbed his arm.

Callous monster? Not to want some stranger forcing their way into her house? The sanctimonious use of the word child is usually an attempt to make excuses for poor behaviour. The homeowner's well being should always come first.

This is clearly a matter for the police, who I suspect will get social services involved.

This is either a) a child with a disability who genuinely doesn't understand social norms and is wandering around with nobody taking care of him, either with or without his parents' knowledge or b) a child who is being seriously exploited by criminal adults.

Either way, the child is extremely vulnerable and this does need looking into by the relevant authorities.

If, as others have suggested, his intention was to rob you or case the joint, that's almost irrelevant here because he is a child (apparently from overseas) who had no shoes on. He's not robbing for the fun of it; he's doing it because he's being made to by adults or because he is alone and desperate.

Potential thief just about covers all bases.

Ultimately it's not for you or us to work out why he barged it - that's the police's job. Which is why you need to call them.

Ring police and report it. Ask if neighbours have any cctv. Ask son when gets back if he knows him. But definitely ring police.

It's a child running around with no shoes trying to get into strangers' houses.

Whatever the reason, that's a vulnerable child.

It's a scam. And it's not twelve like your ickle infantilised Barnaby with his train set it's twelve like in the real world.

At first I thought maybe it was a tictok craze, did you notice any one on the street? Sounds very dodgy though, ask around in case he has been seen on cctv on your street.

The Dickensianism of some people here is astounding! It's a child, in need of help. No matter what pushed him to it, this child needs help!

And @itsgettingweird don't you dare go all PC over the term I used to cover up the moral obligation to help this child out! Shame on you!

Report to the police and lock your door! Nobody can open my front door from the outside without the key.

So what happened? Did he go to the toilet? Did you chuck him out? The story sort of ends in the middle ...