The Parent Trap

Many years ago, I was working at a department store in the Sydney suburbs. Lost kids always ended up at the information desk. Normally, we page the parents, they rush over, and everyone moves on. 

But some parents, the “regulars”, treat it like free childcare. They wander the store for ages, knowing their kid is safe, probably eating an ice cream, being watched by staff (it was a different time back then). 

It’s a busy Thursday night, and one of these regular kids has been with us far too long. He’s getting restless and anxious. My coworker working the desk has clearly had enough. She picks up the microphone.

Coworker: *Over PA.* “Attention shoppers… you’ll be relieved to know that the poor lost child has been collected by his father and uncle and is now on his way home.”

Thirty seconds later, a mother comes sprinting up to the desk, absolutely hysterical.

Mother: “WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HIS FATHER AND UNCLE?! WHERE IS MY SON?!”

My coworker calmly points to the kid, still sitting behind the desk with a half-melted ice cream. The mother snatches him up, furious, but also very clearly caught out.

She nearly got fired for that stunt… but the parent never used us as free babysitting again!