Children following strangers. What to do?
Okay, so my husband and I just moved to a new neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. Today after he came from walking the dog he told me that a little girl had followed him and he didn't know how he should have handled the situation.He said that she was on her bike and approached him to play with the dog, he let her pet our puppy but said he had to go. She apparently wanted to keep playing with the dog and followed him on her bike, he told her that she shouldn't follow people she didnt know but she insisted that the dog was like one she used to have then told my husband that she'd go get a picture and left on her bike. As he was telling me this there is a knock on the door, i opened it and what do you know is the little girl, she says "tell the guy this was my dog" and hands me a picture of a dog like ours and leaves on her bike before I can talk to her. Now this worried me because what if that girl followed an actual dangerous person and to their home nonetheless. Im looking for opinions from people who are parents as we are in our mid 20's and really have no clue what we should do or have done. My husband wanted to go find the girl and talk to her parents but I wasnt sure what to do. In this situation what would you have done? and if you were the parents of this 10 year old would you want to be notified of this? Thank you
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Yes I would want to be told of this. Perhaps a nice talk with her folks will net you some new friends. Plus they can talk to her privately about safety and strangers. I would just avoid turning it into a confrontation or lecture. Some parents are psycho about their parenting skills or lack thereof. ex. Honey Boo Boo - Good luck
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Be prepared for her parents to have a different sense of danger than you do.
It is actually very rare for children to be abducted by strangers. When it happens once, it makes national news, but what doesn't make national news is that three kids died that day in motor vehicle accidents in your state alone, so people have very distorted perceptions of risk.
Let the parents know. Don't make this your chance to teach what you think is true.
Just because I'm 14 doesn't mean I am dumb and can't answer this...
She followed him to know your address, just wait a little more, she might come with her parents to get the dog and you can talk to her parents about her following people around...