dd goes to a ballet class. Last week I had a phone call from one of the mothers, who I know reasonably well (chat to her during the class, she's been round to our house with her dcs for tea a couple of times) asking if dd could go home to her house for tea after this week's class. She said she'd take her back after the class, and could I collect her?
I said yes, and didn't give it another thought. They don't live particularly close but I assumed they would walk or get the bus back to their house(they usually do). Anyhow. Today I asked dd whether they held hands on the way back, and she said "we didn't walk we went in the car". I asked where she'd sat, and she said "in the middle between the two seats for the little girls" I assume she means her friend and her friend's sister's car seats - and on probing it seems that yes, they sat in the child seats and she was in the middle between them on the back seat.
I am pretty outraged and shocked. I would never agree to her travelling this way, and would never offer to transport someone else's child this way, particularly without the parent's permission. If the mother had said "we're driving, do you mind if she goes in the middle", I'd have said "yes, don't worry, I'll come back at the end of the class and drop her off".
So, am I over-reacting? dh is away and I'm working myself up into a frenzy about this. Do I say something to the mother? Or do I just tell myself dd is fine, no harm came of it, and just make sure in the future that if she's invited back they are walking or I drop her off? Or decline future play dates?
I'm feeling very guilty for not asking the question in the first place, and wondering if I've been exceptionally slack in not asking more questions before letting dd go off with someone who, to be honest, I obviously don't know as well as I thought. There's a small possibility dd has got it wrong or is making this up, but she's too young to know that it's dangerous, and I can't see why she wouldn't tell the truth as it's not like her to make something up.