Was I right to stop?

Question

I was driving home from work yesterday and saw a little girl; in a bus stop; crying her heart out clutching her teddy. She could not have been much over 6 years old, by herself. I initially drove by but it distressed me so much I had to go back. I spoke to the girl got her mum's mobile number and called her to find out where she was. She said she was only seconds away. The little girl thanked me. Was i right or was i wrong..i feel it was the lesser of the two wrongs...please advise.

Answer 1

Very much the right thing for benefit of her welfare; but I would have felt uncomfortable doing it - even though a good deed... as you never know what people interpret your actions as in this suspicious climate we live in.

Answer 2

huh? you should have called the police. I had something like that happen to me before and I just called the cops and kept an eye on the girl till the police man got there...BUT I guess what you did was better than just leaving her there. HOWEVER I wouldn't suggest doing it again, if it ever happens again, because you could end up looking bad somehow and jeapordizing yourself (especially since you are male and this is a 6yr old girl who doesnt know you) and also her mom could have been a drug addict, etc and that is why the little girl was all alone in the first place. So it's always best to let the police determine what to do.

Answer 3

As a mother of five children and the youngest being 8 i would say you were definitely right and how sad is it that you even have to ask that question it just shows what the world has come to that a caring adult like you has to feel uncomfortable for helping a little one in distress but i know exactly how you feel. The other day i picked my little girl up from school and her knee was bleeding and she was crying, she said she had fallen at playtime and it still hurt, i took her into school and asked why it hadn't been cleaned or attended to and the teacher told me they weren't allowed to touch the child it was to be left for the parent to see to if it was a minor cut as it could be taken as a form of abuse if they touched her leg! How sad is that? I asked the teacher if she couldn't even have given her a cuddle as she was still upset and all five of my children had gone to this primary school so the teachers had watched them all grow from newborn they weren't strangers and i was told it was the new rules to protect the children! I admire what you did and if i had been mum i would be eternally grateful to you : )

Answer 4

You were right to stop, in theory. You need to be more careful where young children are concerned. Although I think that the exposure of child molesters is essential but I know that there are a lot of people being caught in the cross fire. Maybe you should have called the police. However now that I think about it she probably would have be taken away by social services and put in a care home with loads of child molesters. Maybe you did do the right thing.

Answer 5

You were absolutely right, tho i see your worries, what with what happens these days people can wrongly assume things cant they, luckily for the little girl and yourself she had her mums mobile number, you think how many people must have also see this little girl but did not intervene probabaly through fear of getting accused of something, not for all obviously but, you be proud that you did stop or you like others would today still be worrying about that little girl you see at bus stop all alone, at least you have piece of mind that she is now safe and you have the honour of saying , that was down to me! Well done :-)

Answer 6

You were right. I saw an old bloke collapse in the high street a couple of weeks ago and you would not believe the amount of people that just walked by him staring at him. (Myself and two others helped him up and sorted him out)
But I can understand with all the bad things that happen to kids out there why some people would rather not get involved. It is sad that our society lives this way these days.

Answer 7

No you were right but being a man you have to be careful these days. It might have been better to have called another person that you did not know to be with you when you approached the little girl. These times are very difficult for us all because of what is going on around us.

Answer 8

The mom was seconds away where? In a car? A 6 yr old girl at a bus stop shouldn't have been alone period! You definitely did the right thing.

Answer 9

I know you are thinking that someone could have said that you were trying to pick the little girl up, but there are times when you have to take a chance. I say, as long as you had no ulterior motive, you were right to stop and you were right to call her Mother to find out how soon she was picking up her child. Of course you could have gotten into trouble, but you did not, and I must say, you are a decent individual.

Answer 10

you were wrong even though your intentions were right. stop! pull into a safe area phone the police and keep an eye on the kid untill the police arrive. a while back me and the missus were in a park we came across a childs brand new bycicle lying on the grass, no child to be seen. at least 3 families with kids walked past before we seen the bike. we stopped phoned the police they came within 2 minutes and sped off looking for the kid. did we do wrong? hell no! cops first, hero second.

Answer 11

This is a question I don't like answering
I don't think you did wrong.
But it could have turned out so wrong through no falt of yours maybe kept an eye on her & try to 2/3 other members of the public involved.
The way of the world today has become so bad sometimes you can't do right for doing wrong
I'm so happy this has turned out all around