A woman was shocked to receive a phone call from her nephew’s school 90 minutes after dismissal informing her that his parents hadn’t picked up their son and were not answering their calls.
However, the woman’s shock soon turned to anger after she learned where her sister and her husband had been the entire time.
The woman’s sister and her husband put their phones on ‘do not disturb’ and left their son at school for 90 minutes extra so they could nap without interruption.
The woman’s sister explained in a Reddit post that she received a phone call around 4 p.m. from her 7-year-old nephew’s school.
“He had been left at school for about 40 minutes after dismissal, and the office said they couldn’t reach anyone on his emergency contact list,” she wrote. “They asked if I could get in touch with his parents — my sister and her husband.”
“I tried calling both of them, but their phones were on ‘Do Not Disturb,'” she continued. “The calls would ring once and go straight to voicemail, which was odd because their phones should usually ring a few times before going to voicemail.”
Concerned about her nephew’s well-being, the woman decided to pick him up from school herself as she waited for her sister or brother-in-law to return her calls.
When the woman finally heard from her sister, she was unapologetic.
An hour and a half after the school attempted to reach the boy’s mother, she finally called her sister back. The mom said that she and her husband “had just been napping” — a confession that left her sister furious.
“It felt incredibly irresponsible for them to leave their child stranded at school and silence their phones, especially as parents of a young child and a toddler,” the Redditor wrote.
“Her excuse was that her husband had asked his grandparents to pick up my nephew, but there was a ‘miscommunication,'” she recounted. “I told her that even if that was the plan, she shouldn’t have put her phone on ‘Do Not Disturb,’ because emergencies like this can happen.”
Still, her sister claimed that she “likes” to silence her phone while napping so she can rest without interruption.
JJ-stockstudio | Shutterstock
“She then accused me of overreacting, saying that ‘normal people’ wouldn’t get angry about something like this,” the woman added. “I found this insulting because I was the only one responsible enough to answer the school’s call and make sure her child was safe.”
“Instead of showing any gratitude for my help, she threw backhanded insults at me, even though I was the one who ensured her child’s safety,” she wrote. “Her reaction made me question whether I was wrong to be upset, but I still feel her behavior was irresponsible and ungrateful.”
People online assured the woman that he had a right to be upset with her sister.
“Your sister is totally irresponsible and the fact that she won’t even own up to it is further proof of her irresponsibility,” one commenter wrote. “She should be apologizing and thanking you.”
“As a fairly recent parent, I can tell you that the days of [do not disturb] end when you have a child,” another Reddit user shared. “That is a responsibility bigger than yourself and there is no room for ‘miscommunication’ or excuses.”
Other commenters noted how distressing it can be for a child to be left alone at school when their parents fail to pick them up.
“I don’t think enough people realize just how terrifying this can be for a child. I don’t know if it upset your nephew but as a young child, I was terrified and upset because everyone had gone home and I was left there,” one user shared.
patat | Shutterstock
Schools are not babysitters. Teachers and other staff members have to get home to their own families after dismissal and do not have time to look after kids whose parents fail to pick them up.
While all exhausted parents could likely use a nap without disruption, they have a responsibility to their children to be readily available. As the Redditor wrote, “Emergencies like this can happen.”
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.