‘I'm not taking some kid into my home without the parents knowing’: Man calls the cops on an unsupervised 2-year-old wandering around the neighborhood, gets scolded by a neighbor because he didn't assume guardianship of the toddler

Author image for Jesse Kessenheimer
Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Mar 13, 2025 7:00 AM EDT

This man was a father of his own two beautiful children, so he was extremely concerned when he came across an unsupervised toddler walking around his neighborhood. But would it be wise to bring the child in from the street without the parents' permission? Probably not. 

Not only was this dad looking out for his own incrimination, but he was protecting the safety of the child the only way he knew how: By calling the cops.

It may seem dramatic to call in local law enforcement on a wandering toddler, but when u/pm_me_jupiter_photos considered the alternative, things weren't looking good. However, once the officer showed up, one of the man's other neighbors came in to spice up an altercation based on old-school, small-town values.

Keep scrolling to read how the discourse unfolded when a man was found looking out for a kid's well-being in a modern world where we have locks on our doors, don't know our neighbor's last names, and bring in the police to handle a lone child. 

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  • I grew up in a big city, so I never had the privilege of living in a small town community where everyone knows everyone. It's a strange concept to me to have so much trust in strangers and my instinct whenever something's unsettled in the neighborhood is either to ignore it or avoid involvement. But the man in this next story couldn't ignore the wandering 2-year-old on his busy street, so he improvised in the only way us city-folk know how. 

  • "AITA for calling the police on a 2 year old child running around my neighborhood unsupervised?"

    Cheezburger Image 10478870784
    via halfpoint

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • This happened hours ago Some little kid was outside playing with my boys in a suburban neighborhood, he was 2 years old couldnt even talk yet. If I had to guess, he probably had only been
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  • walking for 8 months he was that young. He was out there with his "cousin/sister" who was only 7 (she didnt know how she was related to him when I asked "is that your brother?"). I have no idea who either of these children are.
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  • I've seen the sister/cousin before in the neighborhood but where she lived or what her name is I couldn't tell you. So I called the non emergency number and told them "hey theres this 2 year old little
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  • boy out here without an adult and his 7 year old sister, what do you want me to do?" and the dispatcher told me to keep them there and they would send an officer out. She asked me to stay
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  • on the phone until the officer got there and while waiting they tried to leave so I told the dispatcher that and she said she wanted me to keep them there so the officer could talk to the kids parents. So I asked if they would stay and they did.
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  • The officer finally showed up and right when he did our neighbor came out and was like "why did you call the police this isnt a police matter" (this child is NOT my neighbors child, I had until tonight a good rapport with my neighbor
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  • so I knew it wasnt theirs). I was like "m'am this boy cant even talk yet hes so young" and she started screaming at me saying I should have taken him into my house and kept him safe. I said "Im not taking some 2 year old kid into my home
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  • without the parents knowing" (i'm a 32 year old male) She kept screaming at me saying "we take care of the kids in our neighborhood, if it was your kids | would do the same! you let them
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  • run around without you out here what if you were miles away and you found out that someone called the police on your kids" (Which isnt true, because my kids hate that I only let them outside if Im
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  • with them). She said Im a bad person because Im treating it "like hes neglected". She told the officer that she will handle it and started walking the boy home. Im dumbfounded and
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  • embarrassed. Like what the f was I supposed to do just let this little kid run around the neighborhood? The cars use our street as a drag strip cause its so straight and long and this kid
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  • couldnt even form words he was that young. The officer just let her leave with the boy and didnt even go talk to the parents. The whole neighborhood came outside to see what was happening cause this lady was screaming at me. So am I the a hole?
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  • Fickle_Toe1724 NTA. The children in question could not give names or an address? Phone number? Or relationship? No. No 7 year old should be out in the neighborhood alone with a toddler.
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  • I am ashamed of the officer. HE should have gone with them, and talked to the parents. That little one is going to get hurt. The parents are irresponsible.
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  • Thank you for doing your best to look out for those kids. Your neighbor over reacted, and was rude
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  • browsinghere1 NTA. As a Police officer, I've done this call 100s of times. A large percentage of times this exposes other neglects that need to be addressed. If it's nothing, we just ensure the
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  • kids end up back with the parents and clear it with no further actions taken. You did the right decision, other people's insecurities have no bearing on that.
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  • Also I am quite concerned that the Police allowed this neighbour leave with the kids. I'd they didn't even get their names id be following up with that department.
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  • G-CMan NTA, That lady didn't give a rats a about the safety of those kids. Im glad someone who actually cared enough was there. You were raised right bud, don't give it a
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  • second thought. There's just parents out there like that who really don't think or care honestly about what could happen to their kids.
    via G-CMan
  • dryadduinath It's NTA for me, and if I were you I'd be thinking your angry neighbor had agreed to babysit and then ...didn't. A two year old should have adult supervision, especially outdoors. Honestly I'd prefer the seven year old had adult supervision as well.
    via dryadduinath
  • fckinfast4 NTA. My three year old nephew managed to open the front door once when grandma had gone to go potty- well my dog decided that this meant they were going on a walk. They walked to the park that was down a grass hill and over a creek to get there.
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  • In the mean time grandma is freaked out and has the neighbors helping look. Thankfully some couple noticed the oddity of this boy on the swings with a dog that won't let anyone get close and no adults- they called the non emergency number and the dispatchers put two and two together.
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  • Now we have a great story for later in his life- key words being later in life, because everyone did the right thing and reported something that wasn't right!
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crazy neighbors workplace-stories toddler kids neighborhood neighborhood-drama reddit thread Bad Neighbor Reddit children entitled people neighbor
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