Mother Finds Toddler's Room Door Open at Night, Hears Little Commotion near the Entrance

Most times, the first emotion a parent showcases when they discover that their child is missing is terror. At that point, they can only imagine the large number of terrible things that could be happening to their kid.

In 2019, this was the case of Redditor dangerous, who shared her story on "breakingmom" — a popular subreddit where moms discuss their motherhood experiences without getting judged or receiving nasty comments.

The Original Poster (OP), a wife and mother of two daughters, moved to a rental home with her family on a weekend. Unfortunately, like several homes, OP's had no Wi-Fi connection, which made her and her husband unable to get baby cameras for their kids — two years old and six months old.

The unavailability of baby cameras made OP worry a lot about the safety and care of her baby, so a few days after the family-of-four moved in, OP began sleeping in her six-month-old baby's room. Once at 2 a.m, the mother-of-two woke up to one of the scariest sights: her baby's room door was wide open.

OP tried to make meaning out of the situation, wondering if she had left it open when she went to the bathroom. The mom could not remember, so she proceeded to shut the door when she noticed another strange sight: her two years old's door was not closed.

At first, OP thought it was the toddler's usual activity of going into her parents' room in the middle of the night. However, she had second thoughts as her husband would always bring back the two-year-old, shut the door, and sometimes fall asleep in his daughter's room.

While OP tried to figure out what was happening, she heard her husband snoring from their room. At that point, she was convinced he had forgotten to shut their daughter's door. OP moved towards the door to close it when she heard a loud noise.

When asked what she saw outside, OP's daughter said, "dark."

OP looked to her left, only to find her older daughter holding the front door wide open. The mom-of-two was gripped with fear and confusion. She could not understand if the toddler was about to leave or had just come back from outside. So OP asked the little girl what she was doing.

Replying to her mother, the toddler said, "I go outside! It's too loud! I cover my ears!"

The little girl took off her slippers and OP was shocked and confused. On a normal day, it took the little girl forever to put on her flip-flops, even during the day, so it was glaring that the toddler had been awake for a long time and had enough time to put on her footwear.

OP remained unsure if her daughter had left the house, so she questioned the little girl, asking if she did, and the toddler replied affirmatively. When asked what she saw outside, OP's daughter said, "dark."

For a few hours, OP had several thoughts running through her mind, one of which was, "Why was our front door unlocked?"

OP explained that she was the last to come into the house, and she entered in a hurry. As in their previous apartment one year prior, OP and her husband had put a childproof lock on the front door, and the little girl never attempted to open the front door by herself.

However, in the rental home, the front door already had a lock, preventing the kids from opening it. But leaving the door unlocked was a grave mistake.

Later that morning, OP had a chat with her daughter. She was upset and told the older sister not to open the baby's door if it was closed. Immediately, the little girl showed signs of remorse for her actions, and OP spoke to her more about it, noting that she had forgiven her.

Despite realizing her mistakes and having a conversation with her daughter, OP felt terrible. She almost lost her daughter for the second time. What if the toddler got stuck outside? What if an animal bit her? What if she was kidnapped? These were some of the questions that ran through her mind.

However, a few respondents took to the comments section to advise and encourage OP. Redditor poidipoidi wrote:

"I think it's time for you to install a chain on the door out of her reach. This story is coming just in time for scary season!"

"We have this little flip lock at the very top of our door to keep kids from unlocking the door. Even on a chair she couldn't reach if she tried. Maybe that will give you some comfort?" another user

.

Hopefully, OP would apply the few suggestions from netizens to prevent such an incident from recurring.

Questions to Ponder

Do you think OP should be blamed for her daughter's actions?

As per OP's story, she was the last person to come in and forgot to lock the door. However, being a nursing mother comes with downsides, such as stress, forgetfulness, and many others. Should OP be faulted for what transpired with her daughter?

What do you think OP and her husband could have done to prevent the situation?

People online said they installed child locks and door chimes on their kids' door, as well as the front door. OP said the front door already had a lock, but she forgot to lock the door after she came in. If you were in OP's shoes, what would you do? Would you allow your two-year-old to sleep alone?

If you enjoyed reading this story, you might like this one about a woman punishing her teen son on Christmas Eve by making him sleep in the treehouse.

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