Parents Be Aware!!!
This is something that happened to me today and it will be burned into my head for a very long time. Read this story and please give me some feedback.
If you were the mother, what would you do in this case?
How do you feel about the sitter and her excuses. What if you were this sitter?
What if you were in my shoes and the others that stayed and stopped today?
I would really like to know what you all think about this and how you would have handled it.
I had a very interesting afternoon and I am going to post this and ask you all to think very hard about the situation I encountered today and then think about a few things I am about to address. Today while heading home, myself, a sweet woman and a man I know from scouting all stopped for the same reason. A little boy between 2-3 years old was wandering in Collinsville with NO adult around. He was close to where he could have been hit by a car. We all stopped for the same reason. Who is this little boy? Does anyone know his parents? Where does he live? And we got no answers from people around us. We asked him his name, and his last name and since he was so young it was hard to understand him but we tried. Now mind you this lil guy was wandering with no coat, no shoes, just a candy and a toy motorcycle. Soaked socks and pants and in a soaking diaper. And he told us his moms name. I called my sister in law and asked her if she was familiar with the name because she knows practically everyone. But we can up empty handed. She suggested maybe he was in daycare and ask him this and that was how we figured out who he was and who his mom was. Called the daycare and they were able to tell more info about who she was and contacted her got his grandparents address and off we went to make sure this was a positive ID on this child. He was scared to go with the Officer so I rode with him and kept him near me and we drove to grandparents who were stunned to see him out like this and had no idea where he should have been as he was not being watched by them.
SO here is what we found out. His mom left him with a sitter at the apartments nearby. He got out. (we really dont know the full details) however he knew his way to his grandparents house and was headed that way. When the sitter arrived walking looking for him (almost an hour later) she had excuse after excuse for how he could have got out and he was tricky and maybe he was hiding in the apt. His mom showed up in tears and looked ready to kill the sitter.
Now the Sitter from what his gma said has cancer. However, she looked like she was messed up on something. Drugs, alcohal....I really dont know but i know that as a mom even if that was my friend if you cant stand up, you cant walk straight, and you clearly are not all there in the head at the time, you should not allow that person to care for a child that clearly needs watching. I wont release names for the sake of the family but anyone who was there today knows the situation.
I am glad we stopped, I am glad he is safe, I fear for kids in this situation. It is one reason why I do not just leave my children with any random person. But let me ask you this. Would you have left a toddler with an unstable person? Would you not worry? As the sitter, would you not have called when you find the child in YOUR care is missing. I know i would have been histerical. Not randomly walking around like it was no big deal.
So parents if you have a sitter check in with them....
Know where your babies are and think about this.... The headlines are out there about kidnapping, and amber alerts and sex trafficking. Anything could have happened to this lil guy. But he was lucky and we stopped and we called cops and we refused to leave until we knew he was with family and tried to keep it the least traumatic as we could for him so he wouldnt be afraid. Warm jacket, shoes, new diaper, new socks new pants. And that parenting instinct to protect a child even if they arent yours.
If you arent sure who you are leaving your baby with is a safe choice, no matter how desperate you are for a sitter, its not worth the chance of your child wandering alone, cold, scared and in immenent danger from cars, or kidnappers. Maybe I am overprotective, but after today it just really makes me never question always checking in on my kids, and knowing where they are. I feel for his mom. She was a wreck when she showed up. I seriously hope they investigate this sitter because she clearly is not a stable or safe place for children. I hope maybe someone somewhere sees this and thinks about today. This is a lesson for parents. You gotta know who has your babies and know they are safe. Dont take chances if you arent sure.
I am just blessed that we were there at the right time for this lil boy before something bad happened.
