Did I do the right thing?

x_Ellie_x

I've been trying to ring the garda station but they keep putting me on hold straight away and I don't have that much call credit left so I think I'm going to walk down and talk to them.

GarH

Well done OP.
Great to see that there are still some decent human beings left in this world.

mikemac1

x_Ellie_x wrote: »

I've been trying to ring the garda station but they keep putting me on hold straight away and I don't have that much call credit left so I think I'm going to walk down and talk to them.

They probably don't want to give out info over the phone

It's you calling but hysterical relatives are probably calling too. Might be making threats too

Good idea to walk down

Since you are concerned over the neighbour ask to go to a private room

This isn't the sort of thing to be talked about in a public lobby

ART6

This and your previous post are the most extraordinary I have seen for a long time, and I can sympathise with others in this thread who suspect you are trolling. The Gardai are not your enemy, and neither are the social services. They might not get it right every time, but then they are human beings too. I just hope that with your attitude you might never need their assistance. Presumably you would reject it?

My wife's mother raised fourteen children and they had very little money. They lived in a tiny terrace house in a city back street. That woman would have willingly given her soul to protect her children, and none of them would ever have been left to wander out of the house at night, not just once but five times. That is what parenting is all about, not whinging about the stress or complaining how hard it is. It is the finest thing that can ever happen to a man and a woman together.

I suspect that your posts tell us more about you than you might wish.

steddyeddy

x_Ellie_x wrote: »

At around half five this morning I got woken up by a crying noise in the street. At first I thought the noise was a stray cat in heat. I opened my window, planning to scare the cat off, and realised the crying was coming from it was my neighbours toddler wandering around the road. The boy is aged between 1 and 2 and it wasn't the first time this happened. Twice before, once on my way home during the weekend and another time at about 7am in the morning, I previously found him wandering around the road in his pajamas with bare feet.

The child was in his pj's and his feet bare and all cut up and bleeding and he was soaking wet and freezing cold. It was raining at the time but the roads were wet but starting to dry off so I figured the boy must have out wandering around for hours. I took him into my house and wrapped a blanket around him. I was really pissed off at his mother! That's the 3rd time I found him like that. The first time I figured it might have been a once-off accident and took him home, the second time I stupidly gave her the benefit of the doubt because his mother did seem honestly shocked and upset the first time I returned him, but since then, I found out that another neighbour has also found him in the same state on her way to work in the mornings a couple of times. How much common sense does it take to realise if your toddler has a habit of waking up in the middle of the night, is able to reach the front door handle, open it and go walkabouts YOU SHOULD LOCK YOUR DAMN DOOR!!!

Instead of taking him home again I called the Garda this time. I figured this was the best thing to do and I was hoping they'd get social welfare involved. His mother seems really irresponable and I think it might be best if social welfare kept an eye on her. I told the Garda were his mother lived (about 5 or 6 houses down from mine) but I don't think the Garda took him home though. They drove off in the opposite direction. I'm starting to feel guilty now and wondering if I did the right thing now. I don't know if the Garda did eventually take him home. I've been keeping an eye on the house and his mother's car has been gone all day and the house seems empty. I don't know if she got her son back and I'm worried about him - he must be so scared. I didn't want the child to be taken off her, I just thought the Garda bringing him home for once might give her a good scare and make her more responable in future. I feel awful now. Did I do the right thing?

Fair play to you for being such a nice person. A lot of people wouldnt have done the same thing. You did the right thing definatly. I would definatly check up on the garda to make sure they did the right thing. Other than that theres not a lot you can do and I wouldnt advise you put yourself in a situation where you could be in conflict with the mother. You done your part and told the gaurds. I would say that you write down the time you told the gaurds and who you talked to if possible.

I should add op you probrably saved the childs life so well done.

dani2008

fair play to you, its not often someone would do the right thing,

i was in a similar situation before, but it was my kid who got out of the house at 6:30 one morning, i was only lucky it was a very close community and we all knew each other so the child was recognised straight away, and my neighbour brought her back to me, although i have to say that was the one and only time it happened

there was no excuse for it but once was enough for me, that poor kids mother sounds like a right irresponsible ejit

steddyeddy

x_Ellie_x wrote: »

I've been trying to ring the garda station but they keep putting me on hold straight away and I don't have that much call credit left so I think I'm going to walk down and talk to them.

When you go down ask to speak with them in private op. Theres no point in walking in when a family member is down at the reception.

ilovesleep

x_Ellie_x wrote: »

At around half five this morning I got woken up by a crying noise in the street. At first I thought the noise was a stray cat in heat. I opened my window, planning to scare the cat off, and realised the crying was coming from it was my neighbours toddler wandering around the road. The boy is aged between 1 and 2 and it wasn't the first time this happened. Twice before, once on my way home during the weekend and another time at about 7am in the morning, I previously found him wandering around the road in his pajamas with bare feet.

The child was in his pj's and his feet bare and all cut up and bleeding and he was soaking wet and freezing cold. It was raining at the time but the roads were wet but starting to dry off so I figured the boy must have out wandering around for hours. I took him into my house and wrapped a blanket around him. I was really pissed off at his mother! That's the 3rd time I found him like that. The first time I figured it might have been a once-off accident and took him home, the second time I stupidly gave her the benefit of the doubt because his mother did seem honestly shocked and upset the first time I returned him, but since then, I found out that another neighbour has also found him in the same state on her way to work in the mornings a couple of times. How much common sense does it take to realise if your toddler has a habit of waking up in the middle of the night, is able to reach the front door handle, open it and go walkabouts YOU SHOULD LOCK YOUR DAMN DOOR!!!

Instead of taking him home again I called the Garda this time. I figured this was the best thing to do and I was hoping they'd get social welfare involved. His mother seems really irresponable and I think it might be best if social welfare kept an eye on her. I told the Garda were his mother lived (about 5 or 6 houses down from mine) but I don't think the Garda took him home though. They drove off in the opposite direction. I'm starting to feel guilty now and wondering if I did the right thing now. I don't know if the Garda did eventually take him home. I've been keeping an eye on the house and his mother's car has been gone all day and the house seems empty. I don't know if she got her son back and I'm worried about him - he must be so scared. I didn't want the child to be taken off her, I just thought the Garda bringing him home for once might give her a good scare and make her more responable in future. I feel awful now. Did I do the right thing?

Of course you did the right thing but why write about it online looking for your morality to be endorsed?
Why are you hoping social welfare will get involved? Socoal welfare provides benefit payments to those who qualify and need them. It's social services that should be getting involved not social welfare. Unless of course she is on SW and you know she's abusing the system for a fact and not just speculation because she has a new pair of shoes or a new tshirt on her back or something. Another SW bashing start up thread, no doubt.

Stiffler2

Personally I think you're crazy.
I would have closed my window, closed my curtains and let Faith take it's course.

Touching anyone else's kid, especically bringing him into your house and wrapping him a blanket has court case written all over it


No thnx

Jason Todd

Stiffler2 wrote: »

Personally I think you're crazy.
I would have closed my window, closed my curtains and let Faith take it's course.

Touching anyone else's kid, especically bringing him into your house and wrapping him a blanket has court case written all over it


No thnx

"All it takes for evil to flourish is good people to stand by and do nothing".

Stiffler2

Jason Todd wrote: »

"All it takes for evil to flourish is good people to stand by and do nothing".

Well then talk to our Justice System, not I

Carriexx

Leftist wrote: »

wow, really nice job, the family have problems with his sleep walking and you try to have him taken from his parents.

How dare you stick your nose into other people\s business like that. For the sake of some moral arrogance, HOW DARE YOU.

Then they should have the child in a secure home where this wont be an issue - how dare you make her feel bad!

beeroclock

Stiffler2 wrote: »

Personally I think you're crazy.
I would have closed my window, closed my curtains and let Faith take it's course.

Touching anyone else's kid, especically bringing him into your house and wrapping him a blanket has court case written all over it


No thnx

So you advise leave a 2 year old roam the street in the middle of the night with cut feet and let be what will be?

Hope your child never needs help, ever

Super-Rush

Stiffler2 wrote: »

Personally I think you're crazy.
I would have closed my window, closed my curtains and let Faith take it's course.

Touching anyone else's kid, especically bringing him into your house and wrapping him a blanket has court case written all over it


No thnx

Get a grip will ya.

Either that or stop trolling.

mikemac1

Stiffler2 wrote: »

Personally I think you're crazy.
I would have closed my window, closed my curtains and let Faith take it's course.

Touching anyone else's kid, especically bringing him into your house and wrapping him a blanket has court case written all over it


No thnx

Diffusion of responsibility

Bit of reading for you if you're interested

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Kitty_Genovese

pookiesboo

Is this story real?F**king hell, some people just shouldnt reproduce. And to think of all of the decent people who would love to have kid but cant :mad:

Esoteric_

You definitely did the right thing, OP.


I fervently hope that the child is never given back to its pathetic excuse for a mother. :mad:

candy-gal1

Eh yes, you did do the right thing OP!
I mean, you have a child, then you look after it to the very best of your ability.
I realise that sometimes, once, some people may make mistakes with their children which they learn from hopefully, but after that one time, all bets are off imho! You look after your kid/kids or you dont and they go to a better environment!
Fair play OP!

Son Of A Vidic

Gillo wrote: »

Some people really shouldn't be parents.

Ain't that the truth, you need a license for driving, fishing, shooting, flying, ect, ect. But when it comes to children, some undeserving scum can pop out kids like they're going outta fashion. Often treating them in a contemptuous manner and with no apparent regard for their well-being.

kfallon

pookiesboo wrote: »

Is this story real?F**king hell, some people just shouldnt reproduce. And to think of all of the decent people who would love to have kid but cant :mad:

You need a licence to own a dog but anyone can have a kid!

Merkin

It never ceases to amaze me that you need a license for a TV or to have a dog but any numpty can procreate. You did absolutely the right thing OP, don't feel bad, it was the right thing to do.

cocoshovel

Today is a good day for afterhours~

Proxy

You definitely did the right thing, OP. I would hope more people would do what you did, but instead our society seems to prefer reverting to trolling online than even considering any social/ethical responsibility.

Reminds me of any argument that right-away goes to "that's not legal/sure isn't it legal". The law isn't everything; ethics and empathy are all we have once manmade law is stifled.

toastedpickles

Since it won't let me post my picture


FAITH IN HUMANITY RESTORED!

Stiffler2

Super-Rush wrote: »

Get a grip will ya.

Either that or stop trolling.

Trolling ? - ye SuperRush - Sure :rolleyes:

Someone just said above if I left my child outside......
Well let me stop you there as I'm not retarted

Anyone see the China man who didn't help the child who got run over
He was afraid he would go to jail

as am I

so again - yes - I would leave him in the st.
it's not my problem

The Dummy Runner

Stiffler2 wrote: »

Personally I think you're crazy.
I would have closed my window, closed my curtains and let Faith take it's course.

Touching anyone else's kid, especically bringing him into your house and wrapping him a blanket has court case written all over it


No thnx

Hope you or any member of your family never need any help from a passer by. What goes around tend to come back!

I think the guards should have been told the first time!!
Once is unacceptable barring some crazy circumstances!

Stiffler2

The Dummy Runner wrote: »

Hope you or any member of your family never need any help from a passer by. What goes around tend to come back!

I think the guards should have been told the first time!!
Once is unacceptable barring some crazy circumstances!

Ok - let me ( attempt ) to put this another way then that you might (understand)

OP - what will you do if you receive a call at your door from the gardaí and a summons to court over abduction of a child or anything to do with paedophile.

You'll loose everything, even being tried for that would be enough to ruin your reputation which would result in suicide

again - No thnx as it's not my problem, just my 2 cents

bucketybuck

Stiffler2 wrote: »

Ok - let me ( attempt ) to put this another way then that you might (understand)

OP - what will you do if you receive a call at your door from the gardaí and a summons to court over abduction of a child or anything to do with paedophile.

You'll loose everything, even being tried for that would be enough to ruin your reputation which would result in suicide

again - No thnx as it's not my problem, just my 2 cents

Me personally, I would deal with the consequences of my actions when the time comes, rather than hide behind my curtains like a snivelling wretch, letting a child come to harm because of the slight chance that I myself might get in trouble.

Some people will give their lives to help a child. You apparently, wouldn't even give your time.

tricky D

Stiffler2 wrote: »

Ok - let me ( attempt ) to put this another way then that you might (understand)

OP - what will you do if you receive a call at your door from the gardaí and a summons to court over abduction of a child or anything to do with paedophile.

You'll loose everything, even being tried for that would be enough to ruin your reputation which would result in suicide

Hilariously ridiculous!

Stiffler2

tricky D wrote: »

Hilariously ridiculous!

Umm-K

what would you do if you saw a stranger bringing your child into their house at 3am ?


Hmmm

It's ok, you don't have to answer that question as I already know the answer to it.

homeOwner

This thread has really upset me. I am so worried for the little boy.

OP please post back and let us know how he is. I really hope that he is placed in a loving home and not back with his birth family who obviously are not looking after him.

Jesus Shaves

Personally i would have brought the child back home to the mother and let her know in no uncertain terms that you would be contacting the authorities if it ever happened again, maybe you should have done this the first or 2nd time so that she had a warning.

BigEejit

Stiffler2 wrote: »

Umm-K

what would you do if you saw a stranger bringing your child into their house at 3am ?


Hmmm

It's ok, you don't have to answer that question as I already know the answer to it.

This has to be a troll ...

Lets just reiterate, it was 3am, the child was soaked and cold and screaming and had cuts on its feet.

If any child is in that state then what the parent thinks does not come into it, the law comes into it.

tricky D

Stiffler2 wrote: »

Umm-K

what would you do if you saw a stranger bringing your child into their house at 3am ?


Hmmm

It's ok, you don't have to answer that question as I already know the answer to it.

Use commonsense and find out what's going on without jumping straight to ridiculous conclusions.

NovabooM

Stiffler2 wrote: »

The Dummy Runner wrote: »

Hope you or any member of your family never need any help from a passer by. What goes around tend to come back!

I think the guards should have been told the first time!!
Once is unacceptable barring some crazy circumstances!

Ok - let me ( attempt ) to put this another way then that you might (understand)

OP - what will you do if you receive a call at your door from the gardaí and a summons to court over abduction of a child or anything to do with paedophile.

You'll loose everything, even being tried for that would be enough to ruin your reputation which would result in suicide

again - No thnx as it's not my problem, just my 2 cents

I'm sorry you feel that way but personally I would rather ensure a child was safe and in the care of the gardai/child services than wandering the streets cold and frightened.

Unfortunately some people don't seem to be able to take care of their children, hopefully now thanks to the Op, this child's circumstances will be looked into and establish what's going on at home, whether the mum needs help or the child is better off in different surroundings.

Can you imagine how scared that little guy must have been?? Tell me honestly your conscience would be clear knowing that a child was outside, yet you chose to ignore him as he was someone else's problem, only to find out that something tragic happened to him??

Most people would put the needs of a child before there own and he needed the help of the Op.

Show Time

OP made the right call.

Tombi!

homeOwner wrote: »

This thread has really upset me. I am so worried for the little boy.

OP please post back and let us know how he is. I really hope that he is placed in a loving home and not back with his birth family who obviously are not looking after him.

Remember, the child was taken by the gardaí.
I'm sure the child is perfectly fine

laoch na mona

if its legit then the op did good

Super-Rush

Stiffler2 wrote: »

Umm-K

what would you do if you saw a stranger bringing your child into their house at 3am ?


Hmmm

It's ok, you don't have to answer that question as I already know the answer to it.

Last warning to stop trolling.

Keep it up and i will have to ban you.

face1990

Fair play OP. Definitely did the right thing.

You were unsure whether it should be reported, so it's best to leave it to the Gardai to sort out. They'll investigate it and take appropriate actions (and I know there's lots of garda bashing threads, but I can't imagine an incident involving a young child not being treated seriously).

For all you know, it could be down to a lot more than the mother forgetting to lock the front door. She may be negligent or unfit to care for the child in general. Again, its up to the gardai and social services to investigate it, not you.
You did the right thing in alerting them to a potential problem and acting in the best interest of the child.

steddyeddy

Op either way If you do go to the gaurds let us know how you got on if you can. Id love to know that the child is safe.

krudler

Stiffler2 wrote: »

Trolling ? - ye SuperRush - Sure :rolleyes:

Someone just said above if I left my child outside......
Well let me stop you there as I'm not retarted

Anyone see the China man who didn't help the child who got run over
He was afraid he would go to jail

as am I

so again - yes - I would leave him in the st.
it's not my problem

[jpeg] squinting Fry [/jpeg]

krudler

Fair play OP, you did the right thing and shouldnt worry, if you found out tomorrow that child had been hit by a car or taken by someone and you knew he was there could you live with it then? You absolutely did right by that kid.

slarkin123

You definitely did the right thing. As a mother of a 2 year old if this happened to mine it would frighten the sh8te out of me that it would be sorted the next day. A simple thing like putting a gate on the child's bedroom door would stop it happening again.

cynder

Poor kid :'(


You did the right thing...

x_Ellie_x

Update:

I went to the garda station earlier today. I couldn't talk to either of the garda that came to my house today because they were both off duty. I spoke to another garda and asked for my name to remain private. He told me my name wouldn't have been given to the mother, they'd just say it was a 'concerned citizen'. He wouldn't give me much information about whats happening only that the 'matter is being dealt with...blah blah blah'. I'm not sure if this is good news or bad news but the little boy is back with his mother. I'm going to keep an eye on the house for the next day or two to see if social services turn up for a visit.

Esoteric_

x_Ellie_x wrote: »

Update:

I went to the garda station earlier today. I couldn't talk to either of the garda that came to my house today because they were both off duty. I spoke to another garda and asked for my name to remain private. He told me my name wouldn't have been given to the mother, they'd just say it was a 'concerned citizen'. He wouldn't give me much information about whats happening only that the 'matter is being dealt with...blah blah blah'. I'm not sure if this is good news or bad news but the little boy is back with his mother. I'm going to keep an eye on the house for the next day or two to see if social services turn up for a visit.

It's disgraceful that they'd give the child back to its mother. I hope they at least had a social worker present to talk to the mother before giving the child back.

steddyeddy

x_Ellie_x wrote: »

Update:

I went to the garda station earlier today. I couldn't talk to either of the garda that came to my house today because they were both off duty. I spoke to another garda and asked for my name to remain private. He told me my name wouldn't have been given to the mother, they'd just say it was a 'concerned citizen'. He wouldn't give me much information about whats happening only that the 'matter is being dealt with...blah blah blah'. I'm not sure if this is good news or bad news but the little boy is back with his mother. I'm going to keep an eye on the house for the next day or two to see if social services turn up for a visit.

You did the right thing anyway Ellie! Its now the states job to protect the kid.

Jesus Wept

Don't want to rock the boat but I don't understand why the OP and Jason didn't call social services sooner.

iamstop

This reminds me of the time I saw two junkies banging up in an alley behind some bins while there was (presumably their's) a 3ish year old child left in the alley with cars whizzing past. I called the guards but didn't have time to stick around and find out what happened but I felt really bad for the kid tbh.