5 year old girl walking out of house at night

[Cleme]

Last night, after a long 7 hour train journey back from my in-laws, my 5 year old daughter unlocked the door and walked out into the night. It was 8pm and she had gone to bed at around 7pm. She wasn't sleep walking, neither was she distressed in any way. We had had a good 5 days away which she enjoyed. She was also happy to be back at my parents for the night before we went back to our house today.
I am struggling to understand why she decided to unlock the door and walk outside on her own. She had got out of bed, dressed herself in her school uniform (she does not go back to school until Weds - she attends school in my parents' village) and walked for about 3 mins up the road. We only realised when I got up out of the lounge and saw the door wide open. I shouted for her and she came running back. When we questioned her she said she didn't know why she did it, giving excuses about seeing her friend and going to school which is about a 5 min walk away. Obviously we are all concerned and will no longer keep the keys in the lock. However I want to understand why she decided to do this. She is a string-willed, very imaginative child who is very into stories about children having adventures. I am just wondering if this is the reason for it. Does anybody else have experiences of their children 'escaping' in the night? I must add that we all get on well and there have been no fights or issues which may have led to this. I have not disciplined her for it, just spoken to her rationally about what could have happened - cars, getting lost etc.

*sliding lock

I agree PhilODox the school uniform points to a sleep walking thing. I hadn't thought about it that way until you said it.
Door alarms will be investigated cx5221. Good suggestions.
Bolts are something I am going to look into - definitely peace of mind. But as you say purplefizz it is frightening. I have been haunted by it all day - the thought that something could so easily have happened to her.

My DS does it, usually when there is something playing on his mind. I have also caught him heading out of the door (at about 3 am, luckily I stirred when he headed down the stairs!).
We now slide the bolt on the front door as soon as he is in bed and keep a key on a hook out of his reach (and out of burglar reach) by the door. We have multiple potential exit points in case of fire most to the rear/side of the house, but he has only ever headed for the front.
He has been known to go and wake visiting grandparents for a middle of the night chat in his sleep too!

Thanks PuntCuffin - what a scare you must have had at 3am...
I am going to do just as you suggest with bolt and keys.
Does an active imagination have anything to do with sleep walking I wonder? My daughter certainly has this. I wonder if I need to stimulate her less before bedtime. I always read to her so would be sad not to do this but...

Sleep walking definitely. I personally would put a baby monitor in her bed too. DB used to do this a lot and did get run over once :z

Oh dear DailyFail - I hope your DB was ok? How awful for you - this is what I keep on thinking about after last night. Baby monitor - another good idea!

He was fine thankfully just fractured legs. The driver was someone who knew us thankfully & got my dad straight away.

My dd2 (3) did this last year. I went to get her up in the morning and she wasn't there. She was out in our front garden, fully clothed and had my keys in her pocket. She was terrified as she had woken up whilst out there but couldn't work out how to get back in. It haunts me so much. She has really struggled with going to sleep alone since then as I think she's worried about it happening again. She has an over active imagination and teallly over thinks things my dh had gone away for work that day and wonder if that is why it happened. I hope it's a one off for you -I know how terrifying the what ifs are

I did this once, when I was 13. Unlocked the door at midnight and literally sprinted off down the street, half dressed for school. Thankfully my mum was still up and caught up with me and asked me what I was doing. I told her I was going to the bus stop to go to school. I was coherent but very much sleepwalking. It was a very strange experience!!

Perspicacia I could very much see my DD (4) doing this.

She's generally very good at school but does get into spots of trouble. Her teacher, who seems to have the measure of her wonderfully, has said she genuinely doesn't think DD thinks of the consequences and that she's not doing things to be naughty-she just gets lost in her own little fantasy world.

I suffer from sleep paralysis and false awakenings, have done since i was a small child and sometimes wake up very disorientated. One of my Dcs also suffers from it, she woke up once and told me someone had set my car on fire, was distressed but awake.

Just catching up on some of these comments. Relieved that your son only(!) had fractured legs DailyFail. I have been speaking to my daughter this evening and she is now saying that she was perfectly awake and knew exactly what she was doing. She says she put on her school uniform because otherwise they wouldn't let her in the school. I don't know what to think now. Of course she may not realise that she was semi-conscious. Or she may just have been very silly. I recognise my daughter in TantrumCometh's description. At school they remark how in her own world she is.
Anyway however it happened it is very scary as Pumble and Blackbird attest.

Whether it was accidental (sleep walking) or deliberate, bolts at the top of doors and a locked door will prevent a repeat event.
I still suspect it was sleep walking, just that it was very vivid especially if you have told her what she was doing. My DS will deny vehemently that he has been sleep walking and seems embarrassed when we quiz him about it the next day.