Smart Move: Babysitter Honored For Contacting Police When Child Wasn’t Picked Up On Time

A mother received internet criticism for leaving her child with her ex and his partner and not coming back, which led to the police getting involved.

The situation was discussed by the Original Poster (OP), aka u/GlitteringBall2429, in the well-liked “Am I The A**hole” community on Reddit. It attracted approximately 14,000 upvotes and 1,200 comments. The post is available here.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, more than 3 million children in 2020—or around 43 out of every 1,000 children—either received an investigation or “alternative” response as a result of alleged neglect or abuse.

Nearly 18% of children were determined to be the victims of abuse or neglect, whereas more than half of these responses were found to be unsubstantiated.

Younger children are more likely to be neglected or abused, with nearly 25% of victims being under the age of one, according to the Child Maltreatment Report released by the Administration for Children and Families.

In the post titled “AITA for contacting the cops because no one picked up the kid I was babysitting?” The OP said that after the child’s father abruptly canceled on her, they and their partner took in his ex-child girlfriend for the night.

The post said, “We had him overnight when the baby daddy bailed on her because we weren’t busy, and she had arrangements with her pals for the night. “She needed to pick him up by 9 a.m. We told her that we had brunch plans for the following morning at 11; however, we were happy to assist. When she dropped him off, she was aware of this and concurred.”

They didn’t get a call from her until 10 a.m., and when she did, she said she had the “worst hangover” and wouldn’t be able to pick up her son until 2 p.m. despite the fact that their homes are only a 15-minute drive apart.

She tells us to bring him along after we remind her of our brunch reservations. The message read. “This child is only two years old; taking a little child to a restaurant is not fun. The moment she agrees to take up the child, my boyfriend cancels our bookings and prepares to become a parent.”

According to the OP, they called the mother and threatened to call the police if she didn’t pick up the child by noon because they were outraged that neither they nor their partner was the parents of this child.

They continued by saying that they were unable to deliver the child since the mom resides in an apartment complex that requires a resident’s permission to enter.

“She calls me a b**ch. I then gave her 30 minutes to pick him up “the post said. “I waited for her for an hour and saw nothing. As a result, I called the police and informed them that I was watching the boy because his parents were expected to arrive two hours ago.”

The child was escorted to the station, according to the OP, who also said that police handled the issue like they would with a lost child.

When Little Miss finally arrives at 3 o’clock, she becomes irate after learning that I had actually phoned the police and turned over her child to them. The post read. She storms down to the police station and calls me all kinds of beautiful names.

In a follow-up, the OP stated that the mother of the child “is also inattentive” and that this was their “final straw.”

In the update, it was stated that “she’d maybe change his diaper twice throughout the entire day (on a good day) and that numerous times I’d seen her refill a bottle that had not been cleaned in days with actual bad milk inside.”

Redditor Reactions

The article received more than 1,200 comments, many of which praised the OP for calling the police after the child’s mother failed to show up.”NTA. I’m so glad you called because CPS needs to monitor this woman’s child’s health and safety immediately “a user left a remark.

“She rolled up past her suggested late pickup time despite being informed that you would contact the cops. I simply feel horrible for the child who has to go through this terrifying situation “Added a different user. You and your boyfriend should think about getting a security system.

“NTA. You two had a deal. She ruined it. You gave her a reasonable heads-up. She didn’t care “Another person said.

“Someone had to contact CPS or the police to at least create a paper trail regarding this woman. I’m happy you did “Another person said. “Mothers should not pull s**t like this so they can go out drinking. If they don’t want their kids, they should give them up for adoption.”

What do you think about this woman calling the cops to inform them about the child? Do you agree with it? Please let us know, and don’t forget to spread the news so that we can hear from more people.