Child abandonment, really stunning

[treesinger]

This happened at work on my day off. I WISH I was there!

A family came in, mother and five children, none very young. One in particular was giving the mother a hard time, but not anymore so than other children give their mothers a hard time. At some point they got separated, and the mother made a point of noticing that he wasn't there, made a cursory attempt at trying to find him, and then LEFT HIM AT THE STORE. He's 11 yrs old. The other kids also knew he was still there. There was NO WAY that this women DIDN'T know that she left one of the kids behind.
This poor boy came out to the center of the store near the entrance and just cried. He knew he was left behind and knew that his mother did it on purpose. And he wasn't that big of a problem to begin with.
Anyway, they had her phone number since she bought something at the store and they tried calling her. She acknowledged that she knew he was still there and said she wasn't in any hurry to come get him!!

After about 1 and a half hours, the kid just got up and left!

I found out the next day when I got to work. First, I blew my top about the kid. Then I blew my top at my co-workers for not calling the police. This was obvious abandonment and I worry for this women's other children. I swear, I would have called the police immediately and had the book thrown at her for her deplorable behavior! It makes me so angry that I wasn't there and that my co-workers dropped the ball.

Vent over. Feel free to comment.

 

[Nutsy]

That is shocking, honest I really don't know why some women bother to have children sometimes.

I could never do that to my kids & yes they can be painful at times, but we all have our moments.

She doesn't deserve to be a Mother, if that is her attitude.

Poor kid, you really have to feel for him, he didn't ask to be born.

So very sad.

 

[FroggyinArk]

people like her make me start thinking about bob barkers line about the pets............... Just for humans,,, honestly some folks should never have children i just hope she has never abandoned one that was too small to fend for himself

 

[ducklite]

The police should have been called immediately! Doesn't your store have an SOP about "lost/unattended" kids? If it does, I'd make a complaint to your employee hotline or a district manager. If not, then I'd strongly suggest to the same people that one be developed.

Not doing so is leaving the company you work for open to a lawsuit. People are sue crazy these days, and it sounds loike that woman would have been nuts enough to sue saying she had "lost" her kid in the store and tried to make it look like the store's fault.

Anne

 

[cynsaun]

That is truly horrible! That poor child deserves so much better!

The thing that REALLY gets me is how a store full of employees:

A: Didn't call the police to report her;

B: LET THE KID WALK OUT ALONE!?!?! He was only 11 years old! I won't let my 11 year old walk down to her friends house at the end of the street!

That mother needs to have her children taken away from her, or at the very least given some parenting lessons...from JAIL!

 

[MeanLaureen]

That is the most incredibly horrible behavior I have ever heard of all around

The mother.. leaving the child there.. needs to be locked up and the kids taken away and given to a relative or foster care. She is one SICK puppy

The employees and store - I am almost more angry with. Have they all been living in a glass bubble??? Have they not seen the news of children being abducted?

To not immediately call the police is bad enough but to LET THE CHILD LEAVE on his own!!!!! OMG - if he had been abducted and harmed.. it would have been just as much their fault.

I would report whoever was watching that child to your home office and make sure that your company comes up with a policy for this if it doesn't already have one.. then if they still have that woman's phone number - call the police and tell them or Child protective services.. asap!

 

[shortbun]

What everyone else has said AND more. I'd be livid and
I might call children's services and give them this woman's
phone number so they can track her down. She is an unfit
parent and needs to be investigated NOW.

 

[Pin Wizard]

That poor child!

 

[amid chaos]

What's really stunning is that your co workers didn't call the police while this child sat alone at the store.

 

[HollyJoy]

I can't believe she did that! How sad. I'm surprised your store didn't call the police!

 

[treesinger]

I can only assume that they were so shocked that it was going on that they didn't know what to do.

and then there is the fear of "getting involved". I've heard horror stories about people getting involved and getting much more than they bargained for. It's a terrible excuse, but I understand it.

When it comes to children being abused or neglected, we should ALWAYS speak up. They can't usually defend themselves. And if their PARENTS are the perpetrators, who the hell else is going to fight for them?

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

What is wrong with some people?? And I'm not just talking about the mother!! Now she is free to do this again, maybe in not such a safe atmosphere...

 

[AZKathy]

<a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_9_4.gif' border=0></a>

 

[Tigger&Tink]

OH MY GOD!!!---What could he have done that was so bad,,to leave him there,, I am assuming he got home ok (AND THANK GOD) because there is no NEWS of a child missing,,but oh it could have been different,,,this is sad, sad ,sad,,I too think I would STILL call the police and at least see if, they can go check this WACKO out...



Tink

 

[missyc]

Sounds like something my sister would do. You know...really teach that kid a lesson.

The more people I know, the more I think they are all (well, ok...mostly) morons!