'That's not wandering off, that's sneaking away': Mom abandons 13-year-old daughter at store for 2 hours, claims she accidentally put her phone on Do Not Disturb

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Feb 26, 2024 6:00 PM EST

When you're a kid, getting left behind at the store is one of your worst fears. As a young child of the aughts, I thought that 'No Child Left Behind' was designed to ensure that kids wouldn't get left behind at the grocery store or the shopping mall. Naturally, as kids grow older, that specific fear usually dissipates, especially if they have a phone so they can call their parent if they get lost in a store. But a kid having a phone won't necessarily stop their parent from abandoning them if they really want to. One father recently went viral on Reddit after sharing that his wife left their 13-year-old daughter at a clothing store for 2 hours without telling her where she went. When she finally got back in contact with him, she claimed that she drove to a nearby store and accidentally left her phone on Do Not Disturb. Yeah, right. 

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  • 01
    220 r/AmltheAsshole u/Ambitious_Report668 • 20h AITA for calling my wife irresponsible, possibly being overprotective of my daughter? Not the
    via u/Ambitious_Report668
  • 02
    Hello, I don't really know how to start this, I'm sorry if there are any mistakes, English is not my first language. I'm 37M. I live with my wife, Jen, 37F and our two kids,13F and 7F. Last weekend, my wife went out for the day with our oldest daughter, who for this story I will call Emily, while I stayed home with our youngest.
    via u/Ambitious_Report668
  • 03
    Three hours after they left, I got a call from Emily. She was very upset on the phone and was crying. She explained that they went to a clothing store together, they split up to look at different sections and now Jen is no where to be found and her phone is going to the voicemail. She had asked an employee to make an speaker announcement and no one has come forward, and Jen had been gone for around an hour.
    via u/Ambitious_Report668
  • 04
    I told Emily not to panic and I come straight down. When I got there, Jen was still gone, and I couldn't see her car in the parking area. We searched for Jen in the stores that are next-door in case she went in one of them, and I also try to call her.
    via u/Ambitious_Report668
  • 05
    Around 40 minutes later, Jen calls me and says she is on her way back to the clothing store. I asked where she had been, and she says she drove to another nearby store that she wanted to go to. I asked why she didn't bring Emily or at least tell her that she was leaving, and she said because she did not expect to take a long time or for Emily to even notice that she was gone. Emily has been distraut and avoiding Jen, she is still very upset.
    via u/Ambitious_Report668
  • 06
    When we got home, Jen and I had an argument as I said that she was irresponsible for going away and leaving Emily in the store without telling her. Jen says I just want to treat Emily like a baby and that she is old enough to be able to be on her own in a store. I asked Jen why she did not answer her phone and she says she accidentally put it on do not disturb. Jen is angry that I called her irresponsible and says that what she did is nowhere close to being an irresponsible parent.
    via u/Ambitious_Report668
  • 07
    I know I can be overprotective of my kids but we do live in a high crime area and it makes me very angry that Emily was left feeling scared. Am I the ?
    via u/Ambitious_Report668
  • 08
    little-story-8903 - 20h Partassipant [2] NTA. I might spend too much time here, but it feels like your wife didn't say anything to your daughter because she wanted to make sure your daughter didn't ask to tag along. I'm immediately suspicious of what your wife was actually doing. I can't imagine being with anyone at a store, leaving and driving to another store and not telling them. Let alone a freaking CHILD. Forget for a second whether or not she should have left the kid at the store along. Ho
    via u/little-story-8903
  • 09
    Old Beach2325 - 19h Partassipant [1] This is exactly where my mind went too. Why is your phone on do not disturb when you're out of the house with one of your kids. Emergencies happen and people need to be able to reach you 4 3.6k ↓ ...
    via u/Old_Beach2325
  • 10
    madmax_drax • 18h I don't know what kind of phone she has, but it's pretty difficult to accidentally put my iPhone on DND manually. And if I've left my car the driving auto focus turns off.. definitely very sus, and she was gone for an hour and 40 minutes? 41.7k ↓ ...
    via u/madmax_drax
  • 11
    Beachin Life1. 17h Partassipant [1] No, she was gone for an HOUR before Emily called her dad. She was gone for however long it took him to get to the store, and then was gone for another 40 minutes. So that is no less than 2 hours from the time Emily started looking for her! ... 4 262
    via u/BeachinLife1
  • 12
    Novel_Ad1943 • 18h Mom here of a similar aged daughter - me too! If she'd said she walked into the store next to it (thinking of a mall) that might be one thing. But how in the world do you take your daughter shopping, leave to DRIVE to another store and not even mention that you're leaving her?! I'd be livid and daughter was clearly frantic, hence still feeling the effects and being distant. 689
    via u/Novel_Ad1943
  • 13
    LightspeedBalloon 18h ● Right? As someone with a tendency to wander off and make others upset (sorry), that's not wandering off, that's sneaking away. 쇼 443
    via u/LightspeedBalloon
  • 14
    Its_Big_Fungus • 19h Partassipant [2] NTA, although not for the reason you're stating. Yes, 13 is old enough to be left alone. I went to the mall with my friends at 13, walked down to the library, babysat my little brothers etc. That is the age that kids should be starting to gain independence. The part that's wrong is leaving her alone without allowing her to make that choice and without telling her it was going to happen. If the mom had said "hey, I'm going to another store down the way" that
    via u/Its_Big_Fungus
  • 15
    But, the biggest thing you're missing: literally no one leaves their kid alone for two hours to go to a store "down the street", and they don't conveniently put their phone on DnD when they do that. I think there's a strong possibility that she's either cheating on you, or (less likely but still possible) meeting a dealer of some sort. Reply 43.9k
    via u/Its_Big_Fungus
  • 16
    ProgrammerBig6254 19h Partassipant [3] Everyone aside from OP knows that his wife is cheating on him. Oh and since it obviously needed to be stated - if I go to a store with my mom/sister/partner/child/friend/boss/co-worker/ nephew.. I will obviously let them know that I'm going to another store before leaving. That's common sense. We came together, right? NTA OP but you're dense af. ... 41.3k 1.3k
    via u/ProgrammerBig6254
  • 17
    fancyandfab. 20h NTA something is very wrong with your wife. She could've at the very least texted Emily to let her know she was leaving the store. Her phone was conveniently on DnD. I worry she was seeing someone she had no business for her to not bring your daughter with her then not answer the phone. Especially if this is in a high crime neighborhood. Her defensive reaction is also concerning. Reply 4 773 ↓ ...
    via u/fancyandfab
  • 18
    Mundane-Currency5088 19h ● There is definitely more going on here. This is so sketchy. The wife should know you don't treat anyone like this. She was definitely doing something wrong. This right here is how you get abandonment issues. By being abandoned. ... 4234
    via u/Mundane-Currency5088
  • 19
    ReviewOk929 • 20h Colo-rectal Surgeon [32] she says she drove to another nearby store that she wanted to go to. 1. And she left her 13 y/o daughter at the store? 2. That's some disgustingly neglectful behavior 3. It's actually way worse than you're portraying it 4. NTA ... Reply 4 325
    via u/ReviewOk929

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