OMG that was So scary! - Found a random kid

PrairieMom wrote: I was driving home from dropping Ben off at preschool and when I rounded the corner to my block I saw this little boy walking in the street. He was about 3 -ish, I could see his diaper sticking out the top of his shorts.
There were NO adults around anywhere, so I pulled over and just watched him for a few seconds, and he headed twards the intersection where it is 4 lanes of traffic all going 40+MPH.
I jumped out of my car, ran to him, and got him back on the sidewalk. We waited there for a few min, and no one came by, so I asked him what color his house was, and to take me there. YOu guys, we walked for nearly 3 blocks. Finally a SUV pulled up beside us and some lady just sat in it looking at us... I was like "is that your mommy? " and he said " uh huh. " she was crying and freaking out, finally she got out of the car, snapped him up and I was like" i found him way over there... by the traffic... He's fine"
she didn't even look at me. She said thank you, kind of under her breath and put him in the car. she didn't even wave at me when she passed. HELLO LADY!!!! OMG, that could have been SO bad, if I hadn't been there at just that moment, he would have tried to cross that street! I am still shaking from the whole ordeal!
Its called child safety locks people. its not just a cleaver name!

MommyToAshley replied: OH MY -- that is really scary!!! He's lucky that you came along when you did. That poor little boy could have wandered into the busy street or someone not as nice as you could have found him.

I wouldn't take the lady's reaction too personal, she was probably an emotional wreck and not thinking straight. I hope she has learned her lesson and gets those child safety locks. You never know -- she probably thought he could never get out, it only take a few seonds. That's why I never took my eyes off Ashley... peopel always called me paranoid, but I'd rather be paranoid and have my baby safe.

PrairieMom replied:
I know. COuld you imagine? Its not like I expected her to jump up and hug me or empty her purse into my pockets or something, but the vibe I got from her was that this wasn't the first time it has happened, and that maybe there were some questionable abuse issues. It could be all in my mind tho, since my inner dialogue was not so kind about her and her "parenting" I was passing a lot of judgments in my head.

mommy~to~a~bunch replied: WOW! Thank goodness you were there Tara! You saved that boy's life!

MommyToAshley replied:
If that is the case, I wonder if you should call someone to look into the situation. Do you know where they live? Unfortunately, most of the time, when people have a "feeling", it turns out to be true. I hope not, though.

PrairieMom replied:
I have no idea who they were, she drove around the corner and was gone. they obviously don't live within a few blocks from me, I had never seen the kid before.

DVFlyer replied: Wow.......... Glad you were there. We just put a lock on our front screen door to prevent this type of thing.

lovemy2 replied:
Oh my Tara - talk about fate - there was a reason you were there - didn't the boy show you where his house was? Maybe you can go back and write down the address and I would call the police just to report it - one way or the other - could very well be a one time thing and she was so freaked out by it she didn't know how to act or like you said it could be worse....

cameragirl21 replied: That was really nice of you to stop what you were doing to attend to that boy, Tara! I think that mom was just freaked out, plus she may have thought you were trying to kidnap him or something because she didn't know who you were. I remember years ago I saw a little girl walking around a parking lot of a busy mall so I came up to her and asked her where her mommy is and it seems she wandered off so I walked her from store to store till this woman showed up and at first she didn't really thank me either, because she saw a total stranger carrying her missing child around but later she ran into me again and thanked me really nicely. I think it takes some time for the panic to subside and the reality of the kindness of a total stranger to sink in. I'm sure now that she's settled down she's really grateful but doesn't know where to find you to express it.

~Roo'sMama~ replied: Oh my gosh! I'm glad you found him when you did! His mom probably acted that way because she was a wreck and probably embarrassed too. Although if I had been her I probably would have gotten down on the ground and kissed your feet! I lost Andrew at the zoo a couple months ago and it was the scariest thing ever. But even though I was pretty upset by the time the zoo workers found him I had the presence of mind to let them know how grateful I was!

PrairieMom replied:
No, we walked the almost 3 blocks looking for a "blue house" and never did find it. I think I was turned around. Who knows if I was even going in the right direction. I should have just called the police. I think I will next time.

5littleladies replied: Scary! I just heard a story from a friend about a situation just like this. She saw two little boys (3 & 5) headed for a pond near her house alone and decided to keep an eye on them because, well that's just not safe. They started playing by the pond so she sent her older daughters out to get them. It turns out they were from a day care center 10 blocks away! One of the boys was a neighbor of this lady's and he had decided he wanted to go home so off they went!

lisar replied: OMG... I am glad you were there. That could have been ugly to see on tv later. And I would be willing to bet that your feelings are right. Wonder if there is a way to find them.

TheOaf66 replied: good for you Tara, at least you did something about it.

lovemy2 replied:
Goodness I sure hope there isn't a next time...that is one of those experiences in life you hope you only have ONCE

stella6979 replied: Wow, that little boy was lucky you were there. And what kind of a Mother loses her child and then doesn't even acknowledge the person who found them?
I was at the mall once and there was this little boy who was just standing by himself crying so I asked him if he was ok and he said he couldn't find his Mommy. So I took him by the hand and told him we'd go find security and as we were walking away the Mom comes storming out of a store yelling at me. Now, I understand she was probably thinking something else, but who goes into a store and lets their small child just wander around the mall? Not to mention, this little boy was more than willing to come with me, which is actually a pretty scary thing.

Mommy2BAK replied: aww that is soo sad, I'm glad you were in the right place at the right time!

bawoodsmall replied: Thank god you were there. I have to add though sometimes they are way to quick. The kids and I were outside one day and I was doing some yard work while they played. I was cutting this branch, look up and Aiden is gone. I was scared to death. He was in the street a half a block up running after a squirrel. I did not have my eyes off him that long...trust me I know how my child is. Unless you have proof that some abuse has happened I dont think you should say anything. Noone is perfect imo and even though my child wasnt 3 blocks away from home I am sure I still could have been in trouble if someone else had saw him first.

holley79 replied: I would SO have gotten her tag number and called DCF or the local LE. How scary!!!

LovinMama replied: that is unreal... I feel bad for the kid having to live with that mom

PrairieMom replied:
ITA. But bad not so nice things were going through my head the whole time.
You know, that protective mommy thing kicks in. LOL


I was so scared for that kid my heart was racing. The whole situation was so unreal, and I just wasn't prepared ya know? I will know next time to ask some questions so I have something to go on just in case.

For now I am just thankful I was where I needed to be when I needed to be there.

bawoodsmall replied: Lets hope it never happens again. I know it wont with us. I felt like a worthless piece of crap when it happened...I think she may have felt the same way.

Regardless..thank god you were there.

My2Beauties replied: OMG Thank God you were there. I'm sure the mother was probably just frantic and didn't know what to think/say when she finally saw him. Poor baby! I bet he was scared to death. I'll never forget when Hanna ran out our front door one time and down the street to our neighbors (in our old house) and neither Brian or I had a clue and he was outside. I had to have literally just turned my head for a second. Scary stuff!

boyohboyohboy replied: you know I worry about this all the time with jake. he has figured out how to open our doors with the safety door knobs on them. i have on order right now a wireless door and window alarms to put on, but they arent going to be for a while. and when i am with the baby, he has been known to run out the front door, two times now he has gotten out while i did the dishes and i see him at the window, which is right near the door..but it still scares me.
I am so thankful God put you in the right place tara.

MoonMama replied: OMGOSH!!!! Thank god you were there when you were. That is so beyond horrible and scary. I don't even know what to say, I would have flipped my lid!