When it comes to doing someone else a favor and helping out with babysitting, it is incredibly important to have clear and healthy boundaries. Otherwise, you might find that your good deeds are taken for granted. Sometimes, getting in touch with the police is the only way to teach neglectful parents a lesson and make them reconsider how they’re treating their children. Though some internet users take issue with that.

Redditor u/GlitteringBall2429 shared a riveting story full of unfairness and drama with the AITA subreddit, asking for their verdict. The OP explained how she ended up getting in touch with law enforcement after the mother of the two-year-old child she was babysitting couldn’t come to pick it up in time. Read on for the full story, in the redditor’s own words.

When you’re done with the story, let us know in the comments what you think and who you think was definitely in the wrong, Pandas. Would you have done anything differently? Have you ever been in a similar situation? Which AITA community members’ opinions do you agree or disagree with the most?

There is no excuse for neglecting your child. However, it can take bystanders a while to get in touch with the proper authorities

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)

A babysitter shared how she finally called the police after the child’s mother failed to show up one morning

Image credits: Erik Mclean (not the actual photo)

The babysitter had a couple more updates for the AITA community later on

Image credits: GlitteringBall2429

What complicates the situation is that the OP mentioned that the child she and her boyfriend was babysitting had been neglected for quite some time now. What’s more, the kid is the redditor’s boyfriend’s ex’s child, though he isn’t the father.

In between the lines, it’s more or less clear that the kid’s mother was using other people’s goodwill to dump her kid while she could spend time doing something else. Like partying.

In a few additional comments and updates, the OP explained the extent to which the kid was being neglected. And many redditors were deeply appalled by that. They felt that child protective services should take a keen interest in the situation.

Part of being a good parent means that you take care of the basics. You provide your child with shelter, food, clothing, love, support, etc. It’s when these basic needs aren’t met that you can say that a kid is being neglected.

Not all situations are clear-cut, however. Few parents neglect their kids because they are ‘evil’ (though, unfortunately, it does happen). Some parents might have trouble putting food on the table because they have difficulty finding a job and making ends meet. Others might struggle with mental illness or addiction.

According to Kids Helpline, neglect is usually more than a one-off incident. It builds over time. There are different types of neglect. For instance, supervisory neglect, abandonment, and not providing appropriate medical care when hurt.

Other types of neglect include not providing emotional support, not meeting a child’s schooling needs, and not providing them with a safe home while giving them enough food and proper clothing. If you’re worried that children in your neighborhood might be neglected by your parents, you can reach out to a helpline and voice these concerns. Who you contact will depend on your country and state.

This isn’t the first time that Bored Panda has covered something like this. You’ll find our post about a babysitter calling the police when the mom didn’t show up right over here.

The OP also shared a bit more context about the child and its parents in the comments of her viral post

The majority of readers supported the babysitter for calling the cops

However, a few people thought that pretty much every adult in the story did something wrong

Some internet users thought that the OP should have gotten in touch with the authorities much earlier

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