I just wanted to get opinions on here as an't get my head roud what happened, have changed my name for a bit..
We live on a family estate in Wiltshire, lots of young chldren out and about playing on our driveway (whch we share with 3 other families)and also across the road on other families driveays.
Everyone seems more or less happy about the situaton and even though it is often quite a lot of hard work for me and my neighbour (always giving out drinks, sympathy, plasters, making our loo and phone available, picking up litter, sorting out arguments and returning abandoned bikes, footballs and coats home to various houses each evening)but I really wouldn't have it any other ay as I want my children to be out there socialising and playing with other kids - it's a priority for us.
Anyway, across the road from us is another family, they have a little boy who is the same age as my ds (7 years old. They often keep themselves to themselves, and until all the problems started I only really knew them well enough to say hello too, but nothing more.
Their son comes and plays on our driveway quite a bit and my son sometimes went to play on theirs.
the problem started during the summer holidays, a great big grop of children were playing Knock Down Ginger, it seemed ok though as they were all only knocking on their own doors (hopefully not being too muh of a disturbance) Myself and DH were dealing with it in a good natured sort of way (even though we were busy)and my neighbours were laughing about it too, as there children were doing it to them
This little boy that lives across the road decided that he wanted to knock on his door and run away and my ds bravely said that he would accompany him!
So they did, only this little boy then panicked (his mum in particular seems to have a reputation for having an awful temper)and when they came to the door he blamed my ds for it.
By this point, my ds was back across the road.
The first thing that I became aware of was when my dd came running into the house. I will never ever forget what happened, she was as white as a sheet and could barely speak and said ' Mummy, Ewan's been taken'
I obviously assumed the worst (man in a white van type scenario - my absolute my horrific fear)and went running out the house calling out to my husband.
When I got outside onto the driveway, i was frantically looking around for him and became aware of lots of shouting across the road. I ran across and there was my ds (thank god though!) standing at the end of their path (of his friends house) and his mother was absolutely going hell for leather at him (verbally), he was crying and shaking and I absolutely hit the roof.
I have never been so frightened and angry in my life and we all just stood there and screamed at one another (me, my dh and his parents - both boys were stood there crying)
Things got quite unpleasant and she said my son was a bad influence on hers (she never, ever comes out or makes any effort to play with the children around here, dosen't know half the time what her own son is getting up to)
Anyway, I retaliated by saying 'fine then' and told her ds to stay on his side of the road and that my children would stay on our side of the road.
When we got back to the house however, a few more things came to light which explained why my son was standing there being screamed at at the end of her ath and why my dd came in in such a panick.
Apparently, this boys dad came out of the house when he heard what had happened and came across the road onto our driveway where my son was standing. He asked him to come back across the rod with him (and was obviously angry according to people who witnessed it), my son, quite rightly said 'no' but this man got very angry with him and insisted, so even though he was frightened, he went because I guess he felt scared and intimidated.
What happened after that is sketchy, but according to my son, he was taken into their house (only just inside the doorway)and was given a good telling off, by the time we got there though, he was standing at he end of the path and this time it was the mother that was screaming at him (this was he bit we witnessed). They however deny that they took my son into their house!
I was even more angry and upset at this point, my son had wet himself and was shaking and I decided that I wanted to report it to the police. I don't know why I wanted to do that but this is not the first time she has errupted (apparentley) and I had a feeling that it wouldn't be the last. I also couldn't believe that they had taken my son and dealt with him themselves for a very minor misdemeanor which in the end he hadn't even done!
Anyway, we reported it but asked the police not to go round there, we just wanted the incident logged so that we could refer to it if something happened again (although not to our children as they are not allowed over there anymore).
This women is now making her rounds around the neighbourhood, telling all and sundry a very one-sided view of things and maing out that we are deliberatley isolating her son (a very lonely, nervous, only-child, she is also hysterical that her job is now at risk becuase we reproted her to the police (she works in a school).
I just wonder whether I have over reacted with any of this. I feel very sorry for her child as this is not his fault, but Its not worth the risk letting my children play with him if they are going to face these types of consequences every time.
My son is fairly relucatnt to talk about what happened now although he did talk a lot at the begiining. I felt very guilty about the fact that he saw us all shouting and I asked him what had upset him the most (thinking it would have been her screaming at him or possibly the four of us shouting at each other) but he said that the most frightening thing was when the man came to take him away because he 'didn't know what was going to happen to him' I am so sad and angry at that, we have spoken to all of the children about stranger danger (though this man wasn'r exactly a stranger) but he was definately intimidated into doing something that made him feel scraedc and uncomfortable by an adult and I just can't get over it.
This happened 8 weeks ago and my ds has been weting the bed since then and having nightmares quite a lot. I can't stop crying and shaking and just don't know what to do.
Sorry this is so bloody long, just letting off a bit of steam,