If you saw a child being carried through the mall

[Deleted]

I would assume that it was just a bratty child.

[GailGoldie]

i've always paid attention in situations like that. Saw one yesterday at Sesame Place... not carrying her away- but a little girl crying and the "dad" was trying to sweet talk her to come with him.... i stood close and listened for a minute before deciding it really was her dad and she was just being a brat.

thankfully my kids rarely throw tantrums in public- and i have 3 kids with me almost all the time- so it would be odd for me to be stealing one kid and have 2 with me.... so thankfully nobody has called the cops on me! Though, one time at Target with both twins FREAKING THE FUCK OUT - i wouldn't have been shocked if they did, lol. Thankfully that was a one-time thing (for now!)

[Deleted]

I probably wouldn't even notice because I have an incredible ability to tune out children completely.

[statlerwaldorf]

I probably wouldn't think twice about it unless I got a bad vibe from the adult. Usually you can tell the look of frustration.

When I was little my grandma took me to the mall. I guess I had a huge tantrum and starting yelling "You're not my mom!" My grandma still talks about it.

[peachdragon]

Aug 22, 2012 16:03:49 GMT -5 ariel06 said:

One of DH's friends had this happen. He and his wife took their 3 year old to a movie. 3 year old got bored and had to go to the bathroom. Friend took him out leaving his wife in the theater. Little boy goes running and friend gets stopped by security. He had no way of proving his DS was his. Tries calling wife who is still in the movie, so the sound is off on her phone. He ended up cuffed in the back of a police car until the wife came out looking for them. I think the little boy wouldn't talk to the police, either. The whole situation horrifies me.

It is ridiculous that men with small children are assumed to be pedophiles.

[heygrey]

i probably wouldn't assume it was a kidnapping because i give kidnappers more credit than that? are they really going to grab a kid and walk out of the mall? maybe with a child who seems compliant, but not one who is kicking and screaming. they don't want to draw attention to the situation.

when i was 2 or 3 we were grocery shopping and i was being awful. my mom asked my dad to take me to the car so she could finish up quickly, and i kicked and hit and screamed the whole way, "i want my mom! i want my mom! i don't like you!" my dad said it was the worst mix of embarrassment and relief to live in a small town where everyone knows everyone. everyone knew i was his kid... and everyone knew was a little brat i was.

[vanillacourage]

See, I'm not embarrassed. I figure everyone's kid has been a little shit at one point or another, and hauling him away is better than making everyone else hear/see his nonsense.

[katfayder]

My step daughter is 15, severely autistic, and primarily nonverbal. I am her primary caregiver so if she's having a tantrum in public, it's with me. We look nothing alike and also, many people cannot tell she isnt typical in regular passing-you-by-shopping situations until they try to communicate directly with her because she doesn't stim as much when we're out and about. Her tantrums include screaming at the tops of her lungs, and dropping to the floor like dead weight.

Obviously I'm not the 'typical' situation, but every time I'm dealing with this, it's is my second greatest fear that someone thinks I'm abducting her. It is my greatest fear that someone really is abducting her because it would look nothing like me removing her from the store; shed go willingly and wouldn't object.

Because of all that me-me-me-special-snowflake, I'm the jackass who is so in my head about the various possibilities that screaming kiddo is long gone before I have a reaction. Little kids are more likely to be pulled out screaming by their parents. The odds they would scream for stranger are actually kinda slim if you think about it, a lot of kids have to be taught to have stranger danger. Older kid screaming bloody murder? Better chance it's a problem. Kid I didn't run into a few times and subconciously observe out of the corner of my eye? So many more options.

[wise_rita]

A guy I worked with (grey haired and quite old looking to have a 2-year-old) left a restaurant with his daughter kicking and screaming.

They were at home and the police came by, saying that someone called in his license plates and thought the situation looked suspicious.

He wasn't offended or annoyed, just glad that if a child HAD been in a bad situation someone out there cared enough to call the cops to check up.