Young child at park asking strangers to push them on the swing.

[Eumie]

So today my partner and I had an odd situation happen, and I don’t know if we handled it right. Or what we could do next time if this happens again (I hope it doesn’t).

My OH and I took our DS to the park today, he’s a toddler so we were in the baby section. While I was pushing him on the swings another kid came up to me and asked me to push him on the swings. Kid looked about 3, still in nappies and had a dummy. Now I was happy to push him, but I was uncomfortable lifting him into the swing, and he couldn’t get in himself. I asked where his mum was and looked around, trying to catch the eye of the other parents while loudly saying ‘I need to ask your mummy’s permission before I do that’. No one came over, so I asked where his mum was, he pointed into the big kid section. I assumed it was someone on the nearest bench with her back turned.

Now my OH had gone to the toilet so it was just me on my own while this happened. I kept an eye out hoping the kids mum would come over. She didn’t. He kept asking if I could push him, and he said his mummy won’t push him on the swings. I was worried at this point as I thought he was lost.

My OH came back at this point. I asked her to take the kid and find his mum. Which she did. Turned out the mum was on the far side of the park with a friend, a baby and 2 other kids. The mum apologised for him bothering us and yelled at the older kids for not watching the younger one.

Great we thought, we’ve done a good deed. We saw the mum with the kid, and thought great she’s going to push him on the swings. He was nearly at the swings when she yanked him backwards and said no. Kid sits on floor and starts crying, mother walks off without him. We were just outside the gate and saw him asking other strangers to push him.

My OH and I felt awful. The little kid just wanted to go on the swings. We can’t stop thinking about what could happen if that poor kid asked the wrong person, or if they wandered off (there’s a river in the park with no fence, and a busy road at one end).

Basically is there anything else we could have done? Call the police and report a missing child? Cause a scene with the woman about not watching her kids? Should I have just pushed him in the swings?

No you did the right thing and sadly you aren’t responsible for that woman’s shit parenting. I wouldn’t pick up another child without the parents permission.

I wouldn't have lifted a child I didn't know up into the swing in case he fell out of the swing or I dropped him or in case his parents didn't allow him on the swings. I would just have kept saying he would need to ask his mum.
I wouldn't have called the police! She may have been pushing him on the swings for ages before you arrived in the park. Even if she never pushes him on the swing it isn't illegal to not use the swings.

I wouldn't have pushed a stranger's child on the swings, you simply don't know how that behaviour could be misconstrued. I wouldn't have taken the kid to find his mum either. Really you just need to look out for your own dc and focus on them.