WWYD? Kids left home alone - neighbor edition

[pixy0stix]

Update: The brother just showed up and picked them up. Completely unbothered. What the everloving fuck.

The 2 neighbor girls rang my doorbell this morning looking for their teenage brother who "ran away". Teenage brother is supposed to be watching them, and apparently has been gone all night. Dad hasn't been home since yesterday. The girls are 7.5 and "almost 9". They know no phone numbers, but I suspect they know their mom's but don't want to tell me because Dad will get in trouble (parents are divorced). We (meaning DH and I) don't have anyone's phone numbers. We're friendly, but not that friendly. We've texted other neighbors and they don't have any information either.

My plan is to keep them here in my house until someone returns to their home. I left a note on their door.

WWYD?

[nsl]

Yikes. I would do exactly the same thing in your shoes.

[scm1011]

Yikes. I think keeping them at your house for now is the right plan. Do you know mom's name? Can you look her up on facebook?

[pixy0stix]

Jun 29, 2023 12:18:18 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

Do you know mom's name? Can you look her up on facebook?

OH! Good idea, I'll ask them.

[maudefindlay]

I think you have gone above and beyond. Do the brother or Dad have FB or IG? What about the Mom? Even if you find them, the dad/bro they have likely left them alone before and will continue to do so. I'd be concerned in this day and age about having kids in my home without permission/consent. If you call the non emergency line hopefully they just get the kids to their mom.

[candreco]

Oh boy. I'd keep them with me, but I'd be firmly asking for the mom's number too. I get that they don't want the dad in trouble, but it's still better than CPS getting involved if they do have a responsible adult available. And honestly the dad leaving these kids with a sibling who is apparently not up to the responsibility is something that the mom needs to know anyway.

[kath16]

woah - when is their dad expected to be home? if it's in like, an hour, i would keep them for the afternoon until he gets home, but if it's more like "this weekend" then i would make every effort to contact the Mom and, failing that, yes i would call the police so they could find Mom. and offer to keep them safe until she gets them.

[hermione]

I would keep them at my house and try everything I could think of to locate mom or dad. I would hesitant to keep children that young in my house overnight without permission though.

[joy]

Oh gosh. Yes, I’d do the same as you and bring those kids into my house until some adult comes home.

How old is the “teenage” brother? 18? 14? One is obviously better than the other.

Are these girls in camps or school currently? Do they need to be somewhere? Where is Dad?

[deadwing]

Jun 29, 2023 12:20:19 GMT -5 maudefindlay said:

I think you have gone above and beyond. Do the brother or Dad have FB or IG? What about the Mom? Even if you find them, the dad/bro they have likely left them alone before and will continue to do so. I'd be concerned in this day and age about having kids in my home without permission/consent. If you call the non emergency line hopefully they just get the kids to their mom.

This.  I don't have kids, so I would be very uncomfortable keeping some neighbor kids in my house - I think it's a little different where you're a mom.

[justemily]

Yikes. You did the right thing.

[maudefindlay]

Jun 29, 2023 12:26:06 GMT -5 deadwing said:

Jun 29, 2023 12:20:19 GMT -5 maudefindlay said:

I think you have gone above and beyond. Do the brother or Dad have FB or IG? What about the Mom? Even if you find them, the dad/bro they have likely left them alone before and will continue to do so. I'd be concerned in this day and age about having kids in my home without permission/consent. If you call the non emergency line hopefully they just get the kids to their mom.

This.  I don't have kids, so I would be very uncomfortable keeping some neighbor kids in my house - I think it's a little different where you're a mom.

I am a Mom and as much as the kids want to protect dad/bro, this seems like something she ought to be aware of. That's entirely too long for those kids to be alone.

[jinkies]

I think I would do the same as you-- let them hang out while trying to track down an adult.

[shauni27]

woah, yikes, many different thoughts. I think you are doing the right thing, if no response from anyone or no progress made in the next few hours, call the non emergency police line maybe?

Do you know how old the brother that ran away is?

I think the fact that the girls came to you indicates that they are worried for their brother? or themselves? Both? What is their attitude like now that they are in your home?

You are a good person, Pixy.

[fivechickens]

I would do what you did.

[cleo29]

You did good. What if something has happened to the dad? Did they say where the dad is supposed to be?

[pixy0stix]

Found the mom on Facebook and sent a message

[pixy0stix]

Dad is at work, probably? I know he works for an HVAC company but not which one.

[onomatopoeia]

I wonder how old the brother is, because I'd also be worried about him too. A 13 vs 18 year old is a big difference. A young teen who left last night and hasn't made it home yet (and according to the girls, "ran away") may also be at risk.

I'm glad they felt they could go to you for help, I hope things get resolved safely and quickly.

[pixy0stix]

Jun 29, 2023 12:30:06 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

woah, yikes, many different thoughts. I think you are doing the right thing, if no response from anyone or no progress made in the next few hours, call the non emergency police line maybe?

Do you know how old the brother that ran away is?

I think the fact that the girls came to you indicates that they are worried for their brother? or themselves? Both? What is their attitude like now that they are in your home?

You are a good person, Pixy.

Brother is like 14/15?

They're very sweet and not afraid at all. They're currently chilling watching Bluey. I think they were concerned to find themselves alone this morning.

[MDmomof2]

Something similar happened to DH and I about 15 years ago. 5 year old next door neighbor came over about 8 am to tell us his Dad wasn't home. Didn't have any numbers, no way to contact anyone. We left a note on his door and his Dad came to get him at 11:30! He had walked into work for a few hours figuring the kid would sleep in but the kid's alarm was still set and he woke up early. We did not have kids at the time but seriously side-eyed the Dad's parenting!

[pixy0stix]

My plan is to call the police if no one shows up by this afternoon.

[livinitup]

I would not call the police until after dinner. I think you are doing the right thing by the girls. But now I am worried about the teenager, too.

[bex1973]

Yikes! I would do the same as you. Thank goodness they found a nice/safe grown up home to ask for help!

[fluffycookie]

pixy0stix, has the brother not been home all night as well? Were they left overnight alone since the dad was gone? I would be concerned about the boy as well being out all night.

[pixy0stix]

Jun 29, 2023 12:45:43 GMT -5 fluffycookie said:

pixy0stix , has the brother not been home all night as well? Were they left overnight alone since the dad was gone? I would be concerned about the boy as well being out all night.

If I'm understanding what the girls told me correctly, brother left last night before the girls put themselves to bed. Who knows where the dad went. Apparently he comes home in the evening sometime.

[mcppalmbeach]

Whoa. That’s really scary. I would be really worried about the brother so I think I would try to press them about what do they mean he “ran away.” Was he upset and left the house, was something else going
When he left? Does dad normally leave for work overnight? Yikes. I hope this all turns out ok. I don’t always see Facebook messages from someone I’m not friends with so I feel like I would call the police sooner than later.

[mcppalmbeach]

Idk I think I’m leaning towards calling the police asap for the brother. We had a horrible situation last year in my area where a 14yo teen was biking and was attacked and murdered out of nowhere. I think someone needs to be looking for him now.

[fluffycookie]

Jun 29, 2023 12:49:15 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Jun 29, 2023 12:45:43 GMT -5 fluffycookie said:

pixy0stix , has the brother not been home all night as well? Were they left overnight alone since the dad was gone? I would be concerned about the boy as well being out all night.

If I'm understanding what the girls told me correctly, brother left last night before the girls put themselves to bed. Who knows where the dad went. Apparently he comes home in the evening sometime.

That is concerning that the brother has not been seen. Any chance you and the mom have mutual friends in common on facebook that you can message and ask them to tell her to check her messages ASAP.  I know when I get messages from non-friends I don't always see them.

[candreco]

Ok, with the update about the brother leaving last night and the dad not necessarily being home regularly, I think I'd be inclined to call the police this afternoon if you don't get a response from the mom soon.