Teen Wonders If They Did the Right Thing After Calling Cops on Mom Who Left Sleeping Child in the Car While She Grabbed Something From the Store

When a teen saw a woman run into a store and leave her sleeping child in the car, they weren’t exactly sure how to respond at first.

According to CafeMom, the teen shared their experience on Reddit, in a post which has since been deleted. They went on to explain that the child left in the back seat of the car looked to be about one or two years old.

You May Also Like: Pop Star Halsey’s Response to Fake Pregnancy Rumors Is Actually Incredibly Smart, Sensitive, and Super-Cool

As the teen watched the mom make her way into the store, they initially stopped her out of an abundance of caution. The teen wrote on Reddit, “I’ve seen all those news stories about parents who forget they have their kids with them so I said, ‘Oh hey, ma’am, your kid is still in there.’

The teen said the mom responded by saying, “Thanks for your concern but I’ll only be a minute,” before continuing to make her way into the store.

The teen wrote on Reddit that they were stunned by the mom’s reaction to their concern. “For a second I thought that was all I could do, but it just occurred to me, if something happened, would I ever forgive myself?” That’s when the teen decided to push a little bit harder. 

“I ran up to her and said, ‘Ma’am, you really can’t do that,’ and she said, ‘You’re clearly young, you might think you know everything about parenting and raising a kid, but someday when you have a baby you’ll have a day like this and realize how ridiculous it is to wake up a sleeping baby when you’re just running in to buy one thing.’”

As CafeMom reports, the teen allegedly tried to reason with the mom who simply told the teen that she doesn’t “have to explain myself to you. This isn’t your child and this isn’t your business.”

After the mom walked into the store, the teen said they waited around for two to three minutes before calling the police, who asked them to stay where they were until officers arrived.

Around five to seven minutes later, the police arrived around the same time the mom was making her way out of the store. “I spoke with the police and gave a statement but she was hysterically crying saying she was just in there for a minute and why was it a police matter.”

And although the teen said they were only looking out for a child’s well-being, they were left feeling like they didn’t do the right thing. The teen asked, “could someone more objective weigh in?”

According to CafeMom, many of the commenters praised the teen for not turning the other cheek and taking action to ensure the safety of a helpless child. “Leaving a child in a car is child endangerment. Anyone could theoretically take the baby out of the car and be gone within a flash. It only takes seconds for something bad to happen.”

However, there were other people who told the teen they blew the situation way out of proportion. “There’s no reason to involve the cops and possibly get the child taken away because it wasn’t in any danger. Depending on location, it’s not extreme weather temperatures right now and they’d be just fine.”

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: This Father Used a Shoelace to Tie His Newborn Son’s Umbilical Cord and Heroically Save His Life

As Kids and Cars reports, during the first 10 minutes of being left in a car, kids can experience an 80-percent increase in heat. “Far too many children have been inadvertently left in vehicles or have gotten into a vehicle on their own. Vehicular heatstroke tragedies change the lives of parents, families, and communities forever.”

And while there is a bit of controversy surrounding the teen’s actions, it’s important to remember that you can never know what will happen and that safety is always the best option.