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03rd Oct 2022

Was I wrong to leave my daughter alone in the playground?

Kat O'Connor

Was she wrong or would you have done the same?

A mum has been called out after she left her daughter alone in the playground. The mum explained that her daughter was only on her own for two minutes. She had to leave her daughter so she could use the bathroom, but the mum was slated for her decision.

She explained that her family was visiting a tourist attraction one day. When they arrived, the mum and her daughter needed to use the toilet. Her daughter, who is nearly 4, refused to wait for her mother and ran away.

She ran over to the play area, which is next to the toilets.

She wrote on Mumsnet, “My daughter then refused to wait for me and ran out to the play area. The toilets were within the play area but not staffed/ticketed.

“I told her to wait but she said no and was off. She told me she was going on the slides as she legged it away! We’ve been there before so she knows where she’s going.”

“I had to go to the loo and therefore she played in the park for 2 minutes unsupervised.”

Was the mum wrong or would you have done the same? Especially in a place so familiar to both of you.

“What would others do? She is very independent and confident but it’s just the safety aspect.”

Many parents slated the mum for letting her in the play area on her own.

“She’s three. It only takes a moment for a child to be snatched or to fall off a high slide or run off where you can’t find her.”

“You shouldn’t leave her alone. She needs to learn she can’t run off when you tell her to stay with you. Take her into the loo with you,” one wrote.