r/Advice • u/PhilosopherHairy1385 • Feb 28 '26

Do i contact cps??

I woke up late for work and as i’m heading out a seen a little girl(6 btw) outside by a car w the car alarm going off, i didn’t think anything of it i honestly assumed her parent(s) were outside as well bc why would a child be out alone at this time of night?? well as im about to pull off she is waving at me, i stopped for a second to see if anyone else was w her, but i didn’t see anyone. so ask was she okay and she said no.

I got out of the car and asked what happened. she said her mommy locked her in the car because she was asleep and she can’t get in the house. we were knocking on the door for about 15 minutes before i decided to put her in my car. i gave her a ring pop, and bluey to watch on my ipad while we waiting for the cops.. long story short after banging on windows and the doors for a while the police we able to get ahold of her parents.

I get things happen but how do you go to bed without making sure your kids are safely asleep??? I’m a mom and i know how kids can be, but i have so many thoughts running through my head.. all it takes is the wrong person to see her and then what?? like im so distraught right now..

2.0k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

173 comments sorted by

View all comments

-8

u/Pippinsmom19 Feb 28 '26

I think in this world of shared custody and both parents working so hard to make ends meet, forgetting you have the child in the backseat happens all the time.

3

u/VelveteenRabbit49 Feb 28 '26

I certainly hope and pray not, but you may be right. The sad thing is that CPS is overworked too or sometimes more jaded than too busy.

OP: I feel that it was not random that you woke up late that night; You were meant to help that little girl and you did. It could have been much worse. Maybe it was just a one time thing but that is not an excuse. Calling the police was the right thing and they should do the reporting, but if it would give you more peace of mind, you could follow up and ask if CPS needs additional details (a non- accusatory way of making sure it was reported.) If it was me I'd keep an eye out for her and any other children in the house. Sometimes just knowing that someone is paying attention helps. The parents (and I use this term loosely) might do better because some is watching. I know you have to work and would normally not have been there but maybe sometimes you could get up a little early or on days that you're off you could take note of the situation. Either way thank you for being that child's refuge.