Did i do enough to help this neglected child?

20 Comments

Running late to my yoga class recently, I noticed a small child sitting on the edge of the road playing with some grass, on the corner of a main road and another street.

Knowing I wouldn't be able to focus on yoga if I didn't check out the situation, I made myself even later by talking to him and asking him where his mummy was. He was very cute and friendly and said she was in the shop, pointing to it on the other side of a small parking lot. I told him to go to his mummy and watched him go into the store.

When I came out of yoga an hour later he was there again on the edge of the road and this time I took him to the shop myself and he went to his mother, who was behind the counter on the phone. I interrupted her to tell her I'd now found him on the edge of the road twice and to keep him in the shop.

Her response was to start verbally abusing the kid, so I interrupted her again and told her not to blame him and (very angry by this time) that he's the child and she's the fucking adult and that she's irresponsible.

After I left I called the local police who said unless they saw him in danger they couldn't do anything but that they'd call around and do a welfare check and I also reported to Child Protection.

I called the store and told the woman I'd contacted the police and child protection and her response was that she's "told him not to go out the door again" at which I lost it again, called her a moron and asked if she thinks that'll protect him from a predator or a speeding driver.

I still feel I didn't do enough, but I can't think what else I could've done. I'm seriously tempted to keep calling her at regular intervals to tell her she's being observed to check on the safety of her child and I'd really like some feedback & suggestions.

Oh, and before anyone leaps to this idiot's defence, I'm a mother and a grandmother and I know it can be hard to watch small kids all the time, but there's no excuse for letting a 4 year old play next to a busy road TWICE that I know of in one afternoon.

Help us keep this site organized and clean. Thanks!
[ Report Post ]
Comments ( 20 )
  • Pumpurrnickel
    6 years ago

    There's nothing more you can do. You're not responsible for the safety of the child.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    2
    2
      -
    • Ellenna
      6 years ago

      I guess you mean longterm: I certainly took responsibility when he was obviously in danger, I just wish there were something I could do or say between the mother and myself. I was too angry at her idiotic response to be reasonable and I wish I could've spoken to her in a way which would've helped her realise she's endangering her child.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      0
      0
  • suckonthis9
    6 years ago

    Although you might think that you are doing the right thing, the truth of the matter is, that there are far too many people in the world presently, and there are many, many such irresponsible people. Too many.
    It is only a symptom of what is really going on.

    The world would be far better off, if the child did die.
    Even if the child is normal, more-or-less, the child's parent(s) is /are not. So the child will never grow up experiencing a normal childhood, and they will most likely become a big problem, and a burden on society, in adolescence and /or adulthood (if they survive that long).

    It is a problem, which unfortunately, has become increasingly more and more common, and more widespread. There is no easy solution for this.
    The best solution, would have been that the child was never born, in the first place; but it's too late for that.
    It doesn't help when our current incompetent, irresponsible and corrupt so-called leadership, bolstered by incompetent, irresponsible and corrupt, criminalized police imbeciles, keep promoting irresponsible and unsustainable population growth.

    It's not that they don't want to, or won't change, it's that they can't change.
    They are no longer able to reason or rationalize things properly, so we all lack mentally sound mentors and arbitrators.
    People who are still able to rationalize things properly, are becoming a smaller and smaller segment of the population, and are often marginalized and suppressed.

    It will be a significant contributing factor, that leads to the eventual catastrophic collapse of civilization.
    The best thing that you can do, is to promote the use of contraceptives, so that more problem children aren't born to irresponsible parents, in the future.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    -1
    -1
      -
    • Ellenna
      6 years ago

      There's something seriously wrong with you. The world would be better off if the child died? And somehow my attempts to keep him safe are contributing to the collapse of civilization? Civilization is about human beings caring for each other, not leaving vulnerable children in danger.

      I repeat, there's something seriously wrong with you

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      0
      0
        -
      • suckonthis9
        6 years ago

        You'll be sorry.

        There is nothing wrong with me.
        In a few short years, the child will grow up. And without any responsible parenting or oversight, he or she will become involved in a violent street gang.
        They will kill members of your own family, destroy your life, and corrupt any remaining members of your family, apparently for no reason whatsoever.
        This is everywhere, and it's spreading rapidly, because they soon will be producing their own offspring in adolescence, and prolifically. One after another, and it's all out of control.

        If you look back through history (recent and more distant), you will find that almost all of of these problem children (later adolescents and /or adults) / leaders, came from abusive and neglective childhood backgrounds.

        Who is going to look after the child, and give them a proper upbringing?

        There is nothing wrong with me.

        Comment Hidden ( show )
        0
        0
          -
        • Ellenna
          6 years ago

          No, I will never ever be sorry for trying to help a vulnerable child and I'd do it again. It was the right thing to do because I had control over my response to the child's situation: I do not have control over how he'll turn out.

          Comment Hidden ( show )
          0
          0
            -
          • suckonthis9
            6 years ago

            What if you had have lived back in history, and you learned that the child's name was Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Charles Manson, or a whole host of others, who all came from abusive and neglective childhood backgrounds?

            You had better do something, and quick, before he kills us all.
            They were all "vulnerable" children, once.
            But what are you going to do?

            Comment Hidden ( show )
            0
            0
              -
            • Ellenna
              6 years ago

              What if ....... what if ........ ridiculous hypothetical question which proves nothing.

              I guess from your reasoning, every neglected and abused child should be killed before they grow up in case they turn into monsters? What sort of government would do this, or are you suggesting it be done personally be people like you?

              You were the one to mention Hitler but his philosophy wasn't that different from yours: some people are worthy of living and others not and we know where that led.

              (What's the bet there'll be a response along the lines of Hitler having done some good things?)

              Comment Hidden ( show )
              0
              0
    • LuxM4G
      6 years ago

      Didn't your mother hugged you enough when you were a child? What is it with these crazy theories about catastrophic collapse of the civilization. The world needs more balance between the current gap that opposes the poorest and the wealthiest, not a matter of overgrowth in the general population, it's the exact opposite, otherwise governments wouldn't enforce pro child birth measures, specifically on countries with stagnant or low child birth stats. True that poor people should have less offspring, but the existence of social classes is and always will be needed until we reach a more perfect balance between them.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      0
      0
        -
      • suckonthis9
        6 years ago

        Your thinking is completely backwards, which seems to have become increasingly commonplace lately.

        The elites in government want high birth rates because it keeps the population in a never-ending cycle of poverty and servitude.
        It's all greed.

        There is currently about 7 to 10 times more people alive, than what this world is able to sustain.
        Every additional person only makes it less likely that you or I, will survive what's coming.

        Comment Hidden ( show )
        0
        0
          -
        • LuxM4G
          6 years ago

          Your have not been wearing your tinfoil hat mister, you've been a very bad boy. These delusions have a strong impact on you if you don't protect yourself, mind the cosmic rays would you. I think this might be a case of space-based dementia, hahaha

          Man, I'm usually not the one to play ignorant or naive, I'm a science man myself and no stranger to politics, but i definitely think your being paranoid about it and overly concerned to a point where you loose coherence to the points your trying to make. There's no one out to get you or me, to profit from us, except for the IRS.

          Comment Hidden ( show )
          1
          1
            -
          • suckonthis9
            6 years ago

            I wouldn't recommend wearing an aluminium-foil hat, as that could fry your brain even more than it already is.

            Comment Hidden ( show )
            0
            0
              -
            • LuxM4G
              6 years ago

              Well, true as it may be, let's leave it at that shall we. I had enough of conspiracy theories for the entire week.

              Comment Hidden ( show )
              0
              0
  • Ellenna
    6 years ago

    UPDATE: Child Protection won't do anything because I didn't get the child's name and police are saying they have no record of my phone call and therefore didn't make a welfare check.

    All I can do now is check again on Tuesday when I go to my yoga class: in the meantime that kid is almost certainly at risk of abduction or being run over by a car.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • LuxM4G
    6 years ago

    Makes me think of bluntman and chronic or silent Bob when they were children left outside a convenience store, hahaha. On a serious note i believe that you did all you could, can't save everyone you know.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
      -
    • Ellenna
      6 years ago

      I don't understand those references and yeah, I know I can't save everyone and I'm not trying to, just one lovely little boy whose life is in danger because of his moronic mother.

      I will be phoning the local police when I get time and asking for an explanation of their lies to Child Protection: if they don't have a record of my call when they asked for and obtained my full contact details, supposedly because I don't know who I spoke to (it's a very small outer suburban station with a small staff) their admin processes seriously need reorganizing.

      I did ask Child Protection what they'd do if someone reported a child being abducted, sexually assaulted or murdered but didn't know the child's name: would they follow that up without a name? Yes of course they would, but they won't do the same to PREVENT a potential death or abduction. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      0
      0
        -
      • LuxM4G
        6 years ago

        It's a reference from the movie Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back from 2001, directed by Kevin Smith.

        http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0261392

        You should see all of his previous movies, specially Clerks from 1994 and clerks 2 from 2006. I'm an intelectual kind of person, i normally only see art and classic movies, but i know when and how to chill for a moment. Seen over three thousand movies in the last four years, from the 20's to the current cinema, including foreign films.

        Comment Hidden ( show )
        0
        0
          -
        • Ellenna
          6 years ago

          Someone talked me into watching Clerks once and it was mildly funny occasionally but probably too young for me

          Comment Hidden ( show )
          0
          0