To be absolutly shocked and livid about a father forgetting his child

[thesockmonsterofdoom]

This morning at school, I was leaving school thisd morning and my dd2's best friend (4yo) was sat on a bench in the school yard crying. I asked him what was wrong and he told me that his daddy had left him. Now I assumed he was hiding around a corner or something, after waiting with the little boy for 5 mins I was starting to panic, I didnt want to take him off the school premises to look for his dad, some other friends walked past so i asked them to have a look where the dad was parked ( about 3 streets away) and let me know if he was there. Well they call a couple of minutes later and the dad was there, he was just about to drive off, he had actuyally forgotten hisd son. He came running back and I handed over his son and walked off as tbh I darent talk as I didnt know what would come out of my mouth.
I can not believe that you can actually forget your child for what turned out to be about 15minutes and he still wouldnt have remembered if friends had not knocked on car window.
His wife is a friend of mine and I am desperatley hoping him or little boy will tell her what happened as I dont really want to have to.
What if I hadnt walked by, someone else may not have known who he was. What if he had decided to go after his dad and cross several busy roads to find him.
I am really quite angry.

Easily done I would say. If you are not used to having the other child, it's so easy to forget them.

Horrible for the child yes, but it happens, it's life. No doubt he felt shit about it.

I dropped off ds at Reception once and had forgotten that I had dd with me. I went straight to work and it was half an hour later that her teacher came to find me, dd was sobbing her heart out. She'd been waiting for me in the Reception part of the school (not a huge deal) and eventually had taken herself to class. But she was so upset and I felt really really bad.

You'd think you'd never forget your children, but it happens.

Out of interest, how would you feel if someone went and ratted on your occasional incompetence/forgetfulness to your partner?

Just what I was thinking SD.

I have twice gone to leave the school grounds without DS2. I was taking someone elses child with me so had my quota and I just have so many children I feel like I spend my life counting them and saying I have lost one.

Bloody hell. Talk about being Ms Judgy perfect knickers!

There was a time when I had one child at reception year in school, the other at nursery 2 days a week, leading a very busy life and still wuite sleep deprived with a million things on my mind, and I would have to stop and think 'Right, am I missing a child or is it nursery day today?'

I once got in the car to pick dc1 up from school and got to the end of the road before, like a lghtening bolt it hit me that DS2 was having a nap at home and I had rushed off thinking he was at nursery that day.

My friend left her 5 year old playing in the park while we walked up the road to school with our 7 year olds once. We were chatting away and thought her dd was ahead of us with my 5 year old.

Nobody is perfect and you have no idea what this father had on his mind, how much sleep he had had, whatever, that morning.

Poor bloke must have been mortified.

YABU to be livid. He made a stupid mistake, he was probably having a crap morning, so don't be a grass.

I'm with Soup and TTM. It's for him to tell his wife.

Actually, if my DH had done this he would tell me as I told him when I did it. I just know he wouldn't though. I am the scatty one.

I've had the opposite of this. DD's nursery phoned up the other day to tell me it was OK to go and pick her up. I had to tell them that she was with me!

I did keep looking at her though to make sure.

These stories have made me want to go upstairs and check she really is sleeping!

My parents forgot to pick me up from my Saturday morning Greek school once - I was about 6. I was waiting outside school for probably 20 mins or so - but I wasn't nearly so upset with my parents as I was with all the teachers - including a priest - who merrily swanned off the premises while I was still sitting there on my own with no sign of a parent. To this day I wonder what the hell they thought they were doing!

YABU. It was not very nice for the litle boy but his Dad had made a mistake. I know other people who have done simular things. My Mum always tells the story of how she lft my sister in her pram outside a shop and didn't realise until she got home.

Oh, don;t tell the mum. It is for him to decide if he should mention it. Talk about telling tales; not your place to tell on him IMO.

How would you feel if someone told your DP about every mistake you have ever made with your child?

Well done for looking after the little boy but YABU to judge him regarding this error. As this thread shpws and many others before - it is easily done by noth mums and ads. It is a time old problem from before our parents were children even.

OK been out alln day, the reason I was so annoyed is because he is always telling the mother that she is a useless mum. I wont tell her, I bet the child will anyway. Also I am really bad for alwayws seeing ther worst case senario and it shook me up tbh.

I've forgotten DD was actually in the car with me and almost driven to work with her in the back after forgetting to stop at the Nursery (which is on the way!) to drop her off. Kind the opposite problem though.

Message withdrawn

Blimey, I don't think I'd mention it to the mum tbh!

Last week a friend of mine came to pick her dc's up from school and after she'd been gone for about five minutes, one of her dc's asked me where their mum was.

I walked the dc along the school drive just as the mum was running back!

We had a good giggle about it and haven't let her forget it since (in a jokey way) but I certainly wouldn't rush to tell the children's dad! That's just ridiculous.

A dad at the school was telling us the other day, that he took his youngest dd to meet the older dd from football club, got all the way home and went straight back out again when the mum asked where younger dd was!

It's incredibly careless but it happens!

sockmonster - chill out - people make mistakes!!!

How do you know he says this to the mum? Have you heard him? Has she told you? Because you know, we all tend to get a bit carried away when it comes to moaning about our dhs.

Besides, I think he'll have to eat his own words now. No doubt he has a greater understanding of the stresses faced by mums.

I think I've done something like this in the past, but I actually can't remember - which must make me the worstest mum of all!

And sockmonster - I think you came on here to vent, and I can understand that you felt strongly about what happened - but if I'm right, you've calmed down a bit now - so the venting has worked, for which I am glad.

ssg pmsl, Sorry I did come for a vent, I have not and have nio intention of telling anybody, I am not normally judgey and I am very far from perfect, in fact I make more mistakes than most. And yes Rhub she does tell me, and i know we akll exxagerate but she has told me these things in tears a few tinmes.

Well hopefully he'll learn his lesson now. He sounds like a prat. Huh.

Wow - that is scary!
I am sure (well I hope) the Dad was scared, too, when he realised what he had done.
As others have said, it happens. Who knows what is going on in his life right now to make him so preoccupied.
I would still be massively angry if my DH had done that, although I would understand a little. I have done nothing on that scale but I have had some extremely forgetful/autopilot moments!

It's not so bad. there was the case in the news about a year ago of the french family emigrating to Israel with their 5 kids. They left the youngest behind in duty free and the child was only discovered when the plane was half way there. The parents were sitting seperately on the plane so neither of them realised they were one short. The poor child had to be escorted seperately on another plane to join them.

I have done stuff like that more than once .Op - how many DC have you out of interest ?