'AITA for calling the authorities on my neighbor for leaving her kids home alone?'

"AITA for calling the c-ps on my neighbor for leaving her kids home alone and getting them taken away?"

A few hours ago I made an elaborate post about finding out my "ratchet" neighbor was leaving her 9 and 11 yr old kids home alone for the week. Yes I called the cops, and I deleted the post after calling. Here is your update. Everything I said in that post was 100% real, not fictional, not made up in any way. I knew I needed to do it and that wasn't the reason I was posting.

I needed the push. I was conflicted on timing because this woman is rather confrontational and will 100% know it was me who reported her, especially in the middle of the night, and I'm sure she's going to try and fight me when she finally comes home. Needless to say, I'm an adult and can defend myself if I need to, but no child should be left to themselves without basic necessities for almost a week.

I called the non-emergency line and the police were at my house in less than 5 minutes. The mother called my phone 3 times back to back as soon as the cops were upstairs talking to her kids, and I just turned my phone off, and am going to try to act like I don't know what she's talking about.

One of the officers came back down and thanked me for calling after they took the kids out of the house, and said they're going to call CPS. This woman tried to tell the p-lice on the phone that she had "arrangements with me and THEY WERE UNDER MY CARE." What?!

That is the farthest thing from the truth! I wasn't so much as informed these poor kids were alone until the son locked himself out of the house and I had to buy them toilet paper yesterday. I'm a broke a-z b*tch as it is and sure as hell not a free on-call babysitter. I lost sleep over this. It's just infuriating! I know I'm NTA for making the call. I know I did the right thing for those children.

I guess I could just use some emotional support at this point because my anxiety is crippling right now. The c-ps took the kids out of the house immediately and although it feels icky to have been the person to make that happen, I know it was the right thing to do. It's just so difficult. Now to lock my windows and doors and hope she doesn't try to k--l me in my sleep.

The internet had a lot to say in response.

Clean_Factor9673 wrote:

NTA. You know you did the right thing. Since the kids acted like it was normal to be left alone it wasn't the first time.

The audacity to claim they were under your care tho!

OP responded:

Right?! I was baffled she tried to say that to them and the cop knew it was bs from the start because im the one who called. I never would have agreed to it, either. I have my own s--t to do.

NeedsMoreCatsPlease wrote:

Former ACS worker here, you 100% did the right thing. Those kids may have been just fine but it does not mean that they deserve to be put through that. Neglect is a serious offense and this is beyond textbook. We have a list of over 18 safety and risk factors to determine the overall safety of the home environment, this violates at least three of them, and I’m sure she’s violating more than those.

Her calling you that late doesn’t necessarily mean she knows it was you, it may mean she was calling you to ask for you to lie and cover for her, since she clearly tried to give the cops you as the babysitter.

All of that aside, if she attempts to do anything, let those cops know, if she is as you say she is, it’s likely they have some understanding of who she is due to past adverse interactions. Idk if this is the emotional support you were looking for but I personally thank you, you did a service for those kids with this and buying them toilet paper (fuck that mom for leaving them unprepared to that extent).

Chance_Room_145 wrote:

You were not “the person who made it happen” the mother is for choosing to leave them home alone. I understand guilt but you did nothing more than a duty to report when you knew something bad happened she made these choices, this it he consequences of her own actions.

sleepylady118 wrote:

Thank you for calling! My husband and his sister were left home alone over night a ton and looking back he wished more neighbors (who definitely knew what was happening) would have called it in.

The p-lice came a couple of times and they said she was at work (but she was actually out in dates or just out most of the time. He has talked about how scary it was to not know when she was coming back and the anxiety he felt while she was gone (especially when he knew he needed to lie to the cops or they came).

Living in that anxiety for so long piled up for decades and he is now dealing with it in his 40s. A CPS investigation is scary and stressful, but they are already living in scary and stressful and you just threw them a life vest!