Doing the right thing
Oct. 11th, 2006 08:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rae_faI think i've just done something monumentally stupid.
So i was taking Becky to school just now, and on the way home, just around the corner from my house (i live about 8 minutes walk away from the school), there was a little boy crying his eyes out, with two old ladies, and a father with his son on the way up to the school trying to calm him down.
Now, I know this little boy. (Okay, he's nine - not so little). I read with him every monday, i talk to him in the canteen, i see him back and for every day to the school with his mum, and he's one of Becky's best friends. But the people trying to calm him down didn't know who i was.
Turns out, Tom had forgotten his drink, and his dinner money, and he wasn't feeling very well. His mum had dropped him off at the school gates like normal, and when he realised he'd forgotten his stuff, he'd left the school grounds, and tried to find his mum...BY WALKING DOWN THE MAIN ROAD.
So these trusting strangers, leave Tom to my care...since i know him, and he's calmed down a bit. So i walk him back to his home - to see if his mum has arrived there (which she hadn't). We spent 10 minutes waiting in the hallway outside the flat to see if she'd turn up (which she didn't), so i started to take him back to the school. Luckily, we met his mum en route, so i left him in her capable care.
But i put myself in such a compromisable position. I didn't have my phone on me to contact the school to let them know that i had him and for 20 minutes, technically, Tom was missing. He'd disappeared off the school grounds, and he wasn't in family care.
I know i'm not a stranger to the kids at the school, and that i wouldn't do anything to harm any of them...but it terrifies me that someone could report for doing what i did today. There are four people out there who can say that they saw me take Tom...and it scares me that they took me at my word that i knew him - they didn't actually check with Tom...none of them offered to walk with me to make sure i didn't do anything. And it's frightening.
What if his mum decides to report me for kidnapping? The police could come round my house and check my computer, and discover mountains of slash on computer...and decide that i'm a dodgy character? I know it sounds ridiculous...but i'm really worried that this could happen.
Was doing what i did the wrong thing to do?
So i was taking Becky to school just now, and on the way home, just around the corner from my house (i live about 8 minutes walk away from the school), there was a little boy crying his eyes out, with two old ladies, and a father with his son on the way up to the school trying to calm him down.
Now, I know this little boy. (Okay, he's nine - not so little). I read with him every monday, i talk to him in the canteen, i see him back and for every day to the school with his mum, and he's one of Becky's best friends. But the people trying to calm him down didn't know who i was.
Turns out, Tom had forgotten his drink, and his dinner money, and he wasn't feeling very well. His mum had dropped him off at the school gates like normal, and when he realised he'd forgotten his stuff, he'd left the school grounds, and tried to find his mum...BY WALKING DOWN THE MAIN ROAD.
So these trusting strangers, leave Tom to my care...since i know him, and he's calmed down a bit. So i walk him back to his home - to see if his mum has arrived there (which she hadn't). We spent 10 minutes waiting in the hallway outside the flat to see if she'd turn up (which she didn't), so i started to take him back to the school. Luckily, we met his mum en route, so i left him in her capable care.
But i put myself in such a compromisable position. I didn't have my phone on me to contact the school to let them know that i had him and for 20 minutes, technically, Tom was missing. He'd disappeared off the school grounds, and he wasn't in family care.
I know i'm not a stranger to the kids at the school, and that i wouldn't do anything to harm any of them...but it terrifies me that someone could report for doing what i did today. There are four people out there who can say that they saw me take Tom...and it scares me that they took me at my word that i knew him - they didn't actually check with Tom...none of them offered to walk with me to make sure i didn't do anything. And it's frightening.
What if his mum decides to report me for kidnapping? The police could come round my house and check my computer, and discover mountains of slash on computer...and decide that i'm a dodgy character? I know it sounds ridiculous...but i'm really worried that this could happen.
Was doing what i did the wrong thing to do?
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-11 09:53 am (UTC)I take your point and understand how you feel though. These days it is very hard to know if 'helping' is the right thing to do or not and people can be so funny about it. Personally I would be more concerned that the youngster got off school property without anyone realising, but even then you can't police everywhere at once.
Honestly as the child was obviously in the care of a person he knew who was obviously trying to help then I think any parent would be grateful rather than concerned.
*hugs* I really can understand your concern but most officers of the law can tell when a person is being kind as opposed being a criminal despite the 'times we live in'
Hope everything turns out okay I really do.
You take care. *hugs again* O. xx
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-12 01:20 pm (UTC)Thankfully, while i was in work yesterday, the headmaster came up to me and thanked me for 'rescuing the boy' as he put it. Seeing as i hadn't said anything to anyone (because i really WAS afraid i would get carted off in the back of a police car), i'm assuming Tom's mum must have said something not-so-terrible about me to him. All i can say is that i've never felt relief so strongly as i did then.
Thank you SO much for all the positiveness and reassurance that you wrote in your message yesterday - it was VERY gratefully received ♥ ♥ ♥