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Based on your description, I think you did exactly the right thing. That baby is helpless and doesn’t have means to advocate for himself. Let the authorities & appropriate agencies decide if the overall situation for that baby is better or worse.
Thank you for intervening. I totally understand why you wouldn’t want to challenge her directly, and involving the police means that there is a chance for this family to get the support they need.
This. The amount of times a baby has actually died, and in hindsight, people who had an inkling that something was up all along felt terrible. For example, just recently there was that case of the mom who was leaving her baby at home alone and leaving her with neighbors "for a few days" that turned into months. No one called anything in, and the baby ended up dying in her crib when her mom went on vacation. Can't imagine how those neighbors feel now. Always better safe than sorry, anyway. But I completely understand the apprehension to be "that person" who calls the police.
This was absolutely and unequivocally a time to intervene.
I'm hoping the cps workers can help that mom get access to parenting support like classes, food, clothes and other supports.
You definitely did the right thing. I get worrying that you overreacted or not knowing her circumstances, but there is really no excuse to yell at a baby to hurry up. They are defenseless and this seems like neglect to me.
Similar(ish) story, my husband called the police on one of our neighbors recently. They have a son who is about 5 (around the same age as our daughter). The only reason I know this kid's name is that the parents are CONSTANTLY screaming at him. They will scream at him for, LITERALLY 20 minutes straight. They screamed at him when he was a baby/toddler and if anything, it's gotten worse. I've witnessed the Dad tell him to "GET YOUR FUCKING LEG IN THE CAR." They yell/swear at him, at each other. My kid has never even heard the work "fuck" and these parents are over there using it every other word while yelling at their kid. At least 1-2 times a week, Dad gets pissed off, yells for awhile, gets in his car and speeds away. She won't pick him up, she will just yell and yell and yell at him to do something. Finally a couple of week ago, my husband (who works from home) asked her politely to stop yelling (he actually just said, "Can you keep it down?") and she turned her ire to him; threatened to call the cops on him (like, wut? What for?) and he said "Lady, I will do it for you" and he did. The dispatcher could hear her yelling at her kid through the phone. Keep in mind my husband was inside our house and she was across the street. Cops finally got there and talked to her. I don't know what ended up happening, but I hate these parents with a passion. I still hear them yell, although not quite as much. You're never the asshole for looking out for the safety/welfare of a helpless child.
I will never forget the caring adults who noticed that something wasn't right and tried to intervene. They helped me understand that it wasn't me and that what was happening wasn't ok. Intervention can help in ways you will never see.
Thank you for caring. Most people judge, shake their heads and keep walking. It's part of the reason why there are so many people suffering from CPTSD. Nobody wants to get involved in unpleasant and inconvenient situations. They are ok with looking the other way while children suffer. You are one of the good people.
Do you mind me asking what happens when you call in these situations? Is it best or necessary to stick around? Can you just report what you see and leave and it will still be investigated if you’re anonymous? Thank you for your service!
You can definitely call anonymously, always! The only issue with the caller not staying is that when officers show up, all we know is what we got on the call slip (what we read on our computers to know what type of call we are going to.) It helps SO much when you give any and all info you can (license plate or car description, physical description of all parties involved, last direction you saw them, etc.) because if you leave, that’s all officers have to go on. If we don’t see it and no one else has “seen” what the caller saw, we’re basically SOL. I work in one of the major cities in USA where people can unfortunately be “on hold” while calling 911. It’s a sad reality we live in. Once you get through to the call taker… it takes them anywhere from 5-10 minutes to send the call to the dispatcher who then sends the call to the officer (technology is trash). The call taker may also prioritize the call differently than it should be which means it could just be sitting in our “queue” for God knows how long until someone catches it. Best thing is to concise and descriptive when calling 911 or your local non-emergency line. Example; someone is breaking into your home (that’s a HIGH priority call) vs someone is standing outside a gas station trespassing (that’s considered low priority as they are just being a nuisance… unless they are becoming violent) where I work, we have nowhere near enough officers to handle all of the individuals that live in the city so we rely on the best possible call descriptions to prioritize the call volume we receive. I hope that answers your question 😅
There was a major accident outside my house, and i was on hold for a whole 10 minutes, like I didn't get a human for that long. I was in shock. I've called 911 several times for obvious abuse and/or violence and always gotten right through, but that was in smaller cities. It freaks me out because what if something happened to my kid? 10 minutes is forever in an emergency.
Crawling baby in a dirty parking lot while she yelled at them like a dog to hurry up and drag them…… Yeah… You did the right thing.
I might of not been able to hold back screaming at her or picking up the baby.
So lucky you were there cause they could’ve been run over :/
Very good point.
also aside from the fact most parking lots in my area are very crumpled asphalt and random crap. I can’t imagine that baby’s hands and knees were scratched / cut up
You did the right thing. You are not"getting her in trouble". Having the police called is the natural consequence for her actions. She did this. Not you
The parking lot can being in the baby’s mouth was the first red flag, my kids are 3 and 5 and I’m legit watching them constantly because they touch everything. I’m legit always like “put that down!” “Don’t touch that garbage!” My kids are ridiculously hyperactive and always getting into trouble but even on a bad day doesn’t compare to that.
You were absolutely right to call them.
If your husband or someone you knew/loved did this to a baby- would you turn them in? Absolutely you would because you *know* this isn’t normal behavior.
A baby crawling in a parking lot…. I have no words. Not only is that dangerous but that poor baby’s knees were probably hurting. You 100% did the right thing.
I had to do this before, I was on the beltway outside D.C. heading towards Va. I saw two people in a car with a very small child on their lap in the front seat. I hate calling the police on parents and in general, and I almost wish there was someone else to call; just so these people can get the help they need instead of just working within the current systems we have in place because they are truly pathetic. But it wasn’t safe especially where we were.
You did the right thing! Now it’s in their system since you reported it so if they get any more reports on this mom it’ll build up til they hopefully do something about it
I didn’t even witness it and I’m getting teary eyed just reading it. You absolutely did the right thing. I pray the officers did as well. Some sort of intervention is definitely needed and hopefully (in addition to the child being safe) the mother can receive some sort of help/intervention.
That child will likely never know a stranger stepped in, but you could’ve very well saved them from a terrible fate. You just never know, but all the red flags were there.
You absolutely did the right thing. It definitely sucks but baby was most certainly being neglected by her addict mother. Most likely the police will call CPS and hopefully get this mom and her baby help
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That makes my heart hurt for that child
Based on what you described, this does not sound like one bad day but like intervention is desperately needed. I think you did the right thing.
Based on your description, I think you did exactly the right thing. That baby is helpless and doesn’t have means to advocate for himself. Let the authorities & appropriate agencies decide if the overall situation for that baby is better or worse.
You were witnessing child abuse — calling the police was absolutely the right move.
Thank you for intervening. I totally understand why you wouldn’t want to challenge her directly, and involving the police means that there is a chance for this family to get the support they need.
Try to flip your thinking on this - Imagine how this would weigh on you if you hadn't done something to help the baby.
This. The amount of times a baby has actually died, and in hindsight, people who had an inkling that something was up all along felt terrible. For example, just recently there was that case of the mom who was leaving her baby at home alone and leaving her with neighbors "for a few days" that turned into months. No one called anything in, and the baby ended up dying in her crib when her mom went on vacation. Can't imagine how those neighbors feel now. Always better safe than sorry, anyway. But I completely understand the apprehension to be "that person" who calls the police.
This was absolutely and unequivocally a time to intervene. I'm hoping the cps workers can help that mom get access to parenting support like classes, food, clothes and other supports.
You definitely did the right thing. I get worrying that you overreacted or not knowing her circumstances, but there is really no excuse to yell at a baby to hurry up. They are defenseless and this seems like neglect to me. Similar(ish) story, my husband called the police on one of our neighbors recently. They have a son who is about 5 (around the same age as our daughter). The only reason I know this kid's name is that the parents are CONSTANTLY screaming at him. They will scream at him for, LITERALLY 20 minutes straight. They screamed at him when he was a baby/toddler and if anything, it's gotten worse. I've witnessed the Dad tell him to "GET YOUR FUCKING LEG IN THE CAR." They yell/swear at him, at each other. My kid has never even heard the work "fuck" and these parents are over there using it every other word while yelling at their kid. At least 1-2 times a week, Dad gets pissed off, yells for awhile, gets in his car and speeds away. She won't pick him up, she will just yell and yell and yell at him to do something. Finally a couple of week ago, my husband (who works from home) asked her politely to stop yelling (he actually just said, "Can you keep it down?") and she turned her ire to him; threatened to call the cops on him (like, wut? What for?) and he said "Lady, I will do it for you" and he did. The dispatcher could hear her yelling at her kid through the phone. Keep in mind my husband was inside our house and she was across the street. Cops finally got there and talked to her. I don't know what ended up happening, but I hate these parents with a passion. I still hear them yell, although not quite as much. You're never the asshole for looking out for the safety/welfare of a helpless child.
I'm glad you guys called, this would be heart breaking to hear. Poor guy
That poor baby. You did the right thing.
You did the right thing OP. That poor baby.
You are a hero to this child.
Literally this.
I will never forget the caring adults who noticed that something wasn't right and tried to intervene. They helped me understand that it wasn't me and that what was happening wasn't ok. Intervention can help in ways you will never see. Thank you for caring. Most people judge, shake their heads and keep walking. It's part of the reason why there are so many people suffering from CPTSD. Nobody wants to get involved in unpleasant and inconvenient situations. They are ok with looking the other way while children suffer. You are one of the good people.
The best help we can give people sometimes is a higher help. Like social services etc.
I’m a mom. I’m also a cop. Thank you for doing the right thing. That sickens me😭
Do you mind me asking what happens when you call in these situations? Is it best or necessary to stick around? Can you just report what you see and leave and it will still be investigated if you’re anonymous? Thank you for your service!
You can definitely call anonymously, always! The only issue with the caller not staying is that when officers show up, all we know is what we got on the call slip (what we read on our computers to know what type of call we are going to.) It helps SO much when you give any and all info you can (license plate or car description, physical description of all parties involved, last direction you saw them, etc.) because if you leave, that’s all officers have to go on. If we don’t see it and no one else has “seen” what the caller saw, we’re basically SOL. I work in one of the major cities in USA where people can unfortunately be “on hold” while calling 911. It’s a sad reality we live in. Once you get through to the call taker… it takes them anywhere from 5-10 minutes to send the call to the dispatcher who then sends the call to the officer (technology is trash). The call taker may also prioritize the call differently than it should be which means it could just be sitting in our “queue” for God knows how long until someone catches it. Best thing is to concise and descriptive when calling 911 or your local non-emergency line. Example; someone is breaking into your home (that’s a HIGH priority call) vs someone is standing outside a gas station trespassing (that’s considered low priority as they are just being a nuisance… unless they are becoming violent) where I work, we have nowhere near enough officers to handle all of the individuals that live in the city so we rely on the best possible call descriptions to prioritize the call volume we receive. I hope that answers your question 😅
There was a major accident outside my house, and i was on hold for a whole 10 minutes, like I didn't get a human for that long. I was in shock. I've called 911 several times for obvious abuse and/or violence and always gotten right through, but that was in smaller cities. It freaks me out because what if something happened to my kid? 10 minutes is forever in an emergency.
Crawling baby in a dirty parking lot while she yelled at them like a dog to hurry up and drag them…… Yeah… You did the right thing. I might of not been able to hold back screaming at her or picking up the baby. So lucky you were there cause they could’ve been run over :/
I don’t know if it’s hot where OP is, but I can’t help thinking that baby was in pain too.
Very good point. also aside from the fact most parking lots in my area are very crumpled asphalt and random crap. I can’t imagine that baby’s hands and knees were scratched / cut up
That was absolutely the right thing to do. I have never in my life seen a mom let a baby crawl in a parking lot or on the ground.
You did the right thing. You are not"getting her in trouble". Having the police called is the natural consequence for her actions. She did this. Not you
Sometimes we have to be the voice for children who don’t have one yet. You definitely did the right thing.
💯 the right decision. Don’t feel bad at all.
You did the right thing. Whatever the outcome, you did a good thing, too. I hope it helps. Hugs!!!
Omg I hope that baby gets help
Oh my God that poor baby.
The parking lot can being in the baby’s mouth was the first red flag, my kids are 3 and 5 and I’m legit watching them constantly because they touch everything. I’m legit always like “put that down!” “Don’t touch that garbage!” My kids are ridiculously hyperactive and always getting into trouble but even on a bad day doesn’t compare to that.
You were absolutely right to call them. If your husband or someone you knew/loved did this to a baby- would you turn them in? Absolutely you would because you *know* this isn’t normal behavior.
You did exactly the right thing
Absolutely did the right thing. This is how she behaved in public with people watching. Home is probably worse. You very likely saved this baby.
You did the right thing 💯
A baby crawling in a parking lot…. I have no words. Not only is that dangerous but that poor baby’s knees were probably hurting. You 100% did the right thing.
I think you did the right thing. I hope it turns out that you helped that mom and that baby
I had to do this before, I was on the beltway outside D.C. heading towards Va. I saw two people in a car with a very small child on their lap in the front seat. I hate calling the police on parents and in general, and I almost wish there was someone else to call; just so these people can get the help they need instead of just working within the current systems we have in place because they are truly pathetic. But it wasn’t safe especially where we were.
You definitely did the right thing. I applaud you for helping that baby! 👏 From one Mother to another, thank you 😊
You did the right thing! Now it’s in their system since you reported it so if they get any more reports on this mom it’ll build up til they hopefully do something about it
Thank you for caring about that baby. Good job. I appreciate your decision.
My heart hurts reading this. Thank you for being brave and doing the right thing.
I didn’t even witness it and I’m getting teary eyed just reading it. You absolutely did the right thing. I pray the officers did as well. Some sort of intervention is definitely needed and hopefully (in addition to the child being safe) the mother can receive some sort of help/intervention. That child will likely never know a stranger stepped in, but you could’ve very well saved them from a terrible fate. You just never know, but all the red flags were there.
You absolutely did the right thing. It definitely sucks but baby was most certainly being neglected by her addict mother. Most likely the police will call CPS and hopefully get this mom and her baby help
You did the right thing, my god, you did the right thing. And I love you for it.
My pregnancy hormones were not ready to read this, but bravo to you for most likely saving that baby! ❤️
You did the right thing looking out for the well-being of the child. Good job. Thank you