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16th Nov 2023

‘My mum left my one-year-old unsupervised in her garden for an hour – am I right to be furious?’

Sophie Collins

garden

A mum-of-one was left furious after leaving her nearly two-year-old son with her mother, only to find out he had been left to his own devices.

She said her mum was minding her little boy and left him playing in her garden, which has been known to welcome stray dogs in from the fence.

She took to MumsNet to get some advice from fellow parents. She said she was left furious by the situation and asked if she was overreacting.

The mum explained: “So I went to pick my 22-month-old from my mum’s and found out he’d been out in the garden on his own for the last 1 hour with no one checking on him.

“Her garden is not the most secure and backs on to a field and she told me that in past that people and dogs have managed to get through to her garden.

“When I’d found out he was in the garden on his own and no one was checking on him I told her I wasn’t happy about it but she got upset and is saying I’m over reacting.

She went on to say: “Only 2 months ago he was staying with her and she thought he’d swallowed a button battery, but didn’t tell me until 3 hours later.

“Luckily I rushed him to a&e and they confirmed he hadn’t.”

garden

One mum responded, saying: “Hi, I would be very frustrated and no you are not overreacting!!! If your son is left with your mum she should be supervising him at all times.

“Being left in the garden for an hour on his own is completely unacceptable. He could hurt himself, swallow something such as a stone and potentially be kidnapped (you mention people getting into the garden previously) or attacked by a dog.”

Another wrote: “I’d be furious!! Did she admit no one has checked on him for an hour??? Surely that can’t be right.

“He wouldn’t be going there again.. thats for sure. My daughter is 3 and I’d never leave her for an hour unattended.”

A third added: “Absolutely not over reacting. Even if it was secure fenced without dogs coming in, I would not leave a child unsupervised in the garden.

“And also her friend not telling you about potentially swallowing battery?? She wouldn’t be standing for much longer if she did that to me!”

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