'AITA For letting my daughters teachers think that they lost her?'
"AITA For letting my daughters teachers think that they lost her?"
My daughter is seven. I drove her to school on Monday morning, dropped her off, and then took my son to his classroom (pre-k, seperate building).
When I got back to my car my daughter was standing by it and crying. I was running late for work so I just took her to my moms. Debated calling the school but assumed they'd call me and decided to not be any later to work.
They didn't call me. My daughter was fine (she tripped in class and broke her bottle - she cried and came to find me but forgot where her brothers class was so waited by the car). I was pissed offwhen I got to pick up and no one had said anything.
To be clear, she tripped, hurt herself, broke a bottle that means a lot to her. She gets very attached to items. Wanted comforting and no one was around so she came to find me.
She's been known to elope & wander, I think she's autistic and we are waiting on an assessment.
My son was a happy little guy, I decided to walk up to my daughters class to ask what had happened. When the teacher saw me she bolted back inside and disappeared. I decided to head to main office instead.
As soon as I got there the teacher rushed into an explanation of not realizing my daughter was supposed to be in today. Basic guilty stuff.
I let her ramble and then explained where she was. The principal was called who essentially told me it was incredibly dangerous for me to not call her in and to let her staff worry.
I think its unprofessional for them to not call home if a child just disappears. I handed her off to a member of staff so at least one person knew she was there. Anything could have happened to her - she's little and was walking out in front of cars.
They have decided we need to have a meeting, I agree. Neither kid has been to school today. I'm probably going to switch their school.
I spoke to my brother (a teacher) who said I was in the wrong - teachers make mistakes, the member of staff probably saw me with her and thats why she didn't tell anyone. I don't feel like I was but I can see his POV. AITA?
Let's see what readers thought.
alv269 writes:
Honestly, ESH. You should have notified the school when you picked her up. Your daughter was standing by your car, no school employee to observe her or chaperone her.
From her story it isn't obvious that the teachers saw her in class at all that day and it seems you are not "handing her over" to a teacher, so why would you assume the teacher will know she is supposed to be at school or not?
It is very unclear if the teachers knew she was there and she disappeared and they were looking for her, or that they didn't know she was there at all and assumed she is not supposed to be there for the day.
significantpark6 writes:
Your daughter went to her class. Tripped & fell & walked out of her class to go & find you? Was the teacher even in the room yet? You decided to take your daughter out of school but not call the office … why? Why didn’t you walk your daughter back in to school immediately & find out what the heck just happened? She was in the parking lot!!!
What exactly did the teacher say? YOUR CHILD WAS IN THE PARKING LOT! (My head would have immediately exploded) … Seems like the only thing you cared about was not being late to work. Why didn’t you call when you got to work? What kind of game is this? ESH.
freshdistribution writes:
NTA sorry but people saying walk her back in??? Hmm let me see her daughter was able to walk out of school at 7 without a teacher seeing her makes me think teachers are really not paying attention.
One of my sons pals at that age managed to exit the school, the school grounds and be halfway home on a busy main road before a PARENT spotted him and took him back to the school, the school didn't even know he was gone.
They phoned his mum an hour later to inform her at which point she went to the school and collected him. Obviously she was furious with him but she was also furious with the school.
It could have been anyone who seen her son and took him. Thankfully it was another parent but it could have went so much worse. He literally walked past his teacher, teaching assistant, helpers and the receptionist to exit the school.