I’m on my soapbox and I have something to say. There is NO WAY a 4 year old should be allowed to roam around ON HIS OWN all day long, and yet some people seem to think it’s completely fine – WTH?!
What’s set me off on this? Last night I had taken Zack along with me to the corner shop which is a good 5 minute walk with a toddler and on our way back I noticed a little boy outside our close (block of flats for those not used to the Scottish term!), shivering away and crying. I popped Zack inside with J and went back out to see what was the matter.
Now I’ll just point out now, this is not the first time I’ve seen this child out on his own unsupervised. Last summer I saw him countless times wandering by our flat on his own looking for the boys next door from us to play with. Oh, did I mention he was playing chicken on the road? You know… running in and out between the parked cars… sickening isn’t it?
So, back to last night. I checked what his name was to make sure I didn’t have my wires crossed (I didn’t), and said I’d take him back along to his house as it was teatime and everyone had gone inside leaving him on his own. He refused point blank to come with me so I said I was going to get his mum and he could come with me or wait for her to come along, still a big fat NO, so off I went.
I went along to his house to speak to his mum… she didn’t seem fussed about the fact that he was out all the way along by our house on his own, in fact it wasn’t until I mentioned he was running out onto the road that she came along to pick him up.
I was tempted to ask her if she realized it was illegal for her to knowingly let him out to play on his own like that being completely unsupervised, but I thought I’d better not push it, I just hope that it doesn’t take him being run over for her to realize that it’s not appropriate.
I can’t imagine not knowing where Zack is at all times. I mean it’s all very well allowing a kid to go into a garden to play, so long as it’s fenced off and you’re WATCHING them, but to just open the door and assume you know where they’ll be?? In this day and age it’s madness. Imagine if some sicko decided to take him away, she wouldn’t have a clue he was missing because she just lets him out to roam around on his own.
It’s just NOT RIGHT people!! Or am I making a big deal of this?