OT- Young Children Playing in Streets: Opinions?

[EchoMom]

I live just off of a major road, and it intersects with another popular cut through street. My specific house is on the entrance to a court, but still, the whole intersection is fairly busy with traffic.

There are several children ages 6-12 that run back and forth to friends houses, crossing streets, riding bikes, remote control cars, power wheels, playing on the busy corner, "selling lemonade" (kind of but not really), etc. That's really not how I was raised and not something I would be comfortable with having my child run around like that. However, it doesn't bother me THAT much, it's just a different thought than I would have.

HOWEVER, now, these 2 sibling boys an 7/8ish year old and his 4 year old brother run around the neighborhood "together" (older supposed to be watching the younger, but not always well).

Well NOW, they have a 3rd brother with them! He is TINY TINY TINY. Looks like an 18month old but they say he's 2. He is itty bitty and cars and no one can see him! And the 2 "older" boys don't watch him well!

We're worried sick about it and think that it's OBSURD to let a 2 year old run around like that!!!!

What also bothers me, is that a neighbor drove up to our house asking if we'd lost one of our daycare kids and we were like, "NO! He's not one of ours!!! We don't like it either!". So now I'm worried people will think the toddler running the streets is from our daycare!

Thoughts? Is this something to ignore? We've literally seen the siblings have some close calls in traffic, and now this tiny BABY/2year old is running around too?!

[e.j.]

Assuming you're uncomfortable speaking directly to their parents or have tried and you're not getting anywhere with them...... I'd call the police if I felt the kids were in imminent danger. If not, I'd call CPS to report what's happening and hope they would be willing to investigate.

That's got to be hard for you to witness and I don't blame you for not wanting anyone to think the kids are in your care. People do make incorrect assumptions all the time.

[daycare]

wow that is NUTS
This is how I would approach it. I would approach the kids and say hi guys, looks like your youngest brother got out of the house, lets take him back.

I would then knock on the door and when the parents come I would say, I just found your child in the street, I was not sure if you knew he went outside and I would really hate to see something happen to him, so I brought him back.

See what the parent/s say.......

If it happens again, then I would be calling CPS..

I don't even let my almost 6 year old play alone with the neighbor hood kids.. If my son goes out, I go out too...

[Familycare71]

I agree- if he is currently out and in danger call police. If you rather them not know it was you call Cps.
So scary!!
I know in NY a child has to be 11 before they can be responsible for a younger child.

[Starburst]

I understand how annoying it is. My neighbor lets her kids run in the street all the time, they are always blocking our driveway and used to always ride their bikes in our driveway, until I yelled at them I would call the cops if they trespassed again after I saw them try to take a swing at a stray cat on our property with a PVC pipe. The mom will yell at my roommates "Slow the **** down!" when my roommate drives down the hill to our house (he drives at the legal limit but its a semi-steep down slope so it looks a little faster) and one of her kids (about 7) once said the same thing to my mom when she was slowly backing out of our driveway .

My property manager/uncle tried talking to her at one point to tell her that her kids are yelling profanity, are always on our property, and blocking out driveway and that if it continues we will call the cops and possibly CPS. The mom said that 2 of her 3 sons are autistic. Then WHY would you let them RUN IN THE STREETS UNSUPERVISED! I'm sorry if this offends anyone but to me that is a lame excuse, if anything that is more of a reason to set more structured rules, especially if they are playing in the streets unsupervised!

[Lyss]

wow that is NUTS
This is how I would approach it. I would approach the kids and say hi guys, looks like your youngest brother got out of the house, lets take him back.

I would then knock on the door and when the parents come I would say, I just found your child in the street, I was not sure if you knew he went outside and I would really hate to see something happen to him, so I brought him back.

See what the parent/s say.......

If it happens again, then I would be calling CPS..

I don't even let my almost 6 year old play alone with the neighbor hood kids.. If my son goes out, I go out too...

This is exactly what I would do Heck I may even say someone thought he was a lost DCK and brought him to me to add more "concerned adults" to the mix and maybe ad a few more layers of embarrassment :: Either way if I saw that kid again I'd be calling the cops and cps.

I've done it twice when we lived in an apartment complex years ago, the first time the police came because I had no idea where the kid lived but the second time the dispatcher said "oh you know where the kid lives? Lets just say you don't so I can dispatch someone asap" so I'm assuming if you say you just see a random kid they send someone rather than expecting you to take them back if you know where they live :confused: Maybe our cops were just lazy (or short staffed? who knows)

[crunchymama]

Just last week a 6 year old little girl was hit and killed just a few miles from my home. Her older brother and father were both crossing the same street and the driver said he was watching the father and older child and simply didn't see the little girl. Take action now and you may prevent something awful from happening.
I would probably go straight to CPS with my concerns and then if/when I saw it happening again I'd call the cops for immanent danger.