I don't think they are overly paranoid. Just making sure everything is alright. Assuming that things are alright is wrong.

I assume 8 is alright in the head. Guess I'm wrong.

Calling the cops does seem extreme, especially if that person could have asked around the school to get more information first. However, people are so afraid to get involved. Many wouldn't say mind your own business if the cops were called and the persons involved were actually doing something deviant. We are our brother's keeper and need to make sure that children are protected, ours and yours too.

8, if they merely wanted to know if everything is okay, then they could talk to the child, who will then let the person know that the person picking him up is his parent (especially when you consider that the parent is picking his/her son up everyday). Not everything needs to get the cops involved.

There was no need to call the police #20. A good parent would have called or stopped by the school office and the situation would have been explained in 30 seconds. Calling the police is unnecessary, a waste of everyone's time, and in many situations will reflect poorly on the teacher whether they are doing something wrong or not.

The problem with that line of thought is that, hypothetically, everything could be a bad situation. Obviously, OP wasn't a threat of violence to anyone, and the same situation occurred daily and wasn't anomalous. The cops should be called when there are actual emergencies.

My mum was a school teacher, so catching lifts with other teachers wasn't weird for me. If my mum was sick, another teacher would take me to school (they had their own kids, and both this teacher and my mum worked at my primary school)

But there was no actual emergency #24. This isn't someone dragging a kid into a car. This was an adult and a child walking together, probably talking as parent and child often do. You have nothing to stand on here dude, your're completely wrong. Deal with it.

I believe you were referencing #22... ;)

Because all cases of kidnapping or abuse have the kid kicking and screaming? Especially if the person is a trusted adult, the kid might not freak out when they try to take them. Should they have investigated further? Yes. Were they wrong for having concerns? No.

If the child was being kidnapped they would not show up at school the next day. Its obvious from the fml that the person observed OP taking the child home several times. They could have brought the matter up to the principal or asked their childs' teacher. Yes concern is warranted, but the police should not be called if it can be taken care of by asking a question or two.

Not disagreeing, but it doesn't have to be kidnapping. Molestation tends to occur over time. It was more likely they were worried about sexual abuse rather than kidnapping

Molestation cases do indeed occur, and often WITHIN families (which makes it that much harder to investigate). However, calling the cops is still overreacting. If an individual is not a threat and you suspect something, yet are unsure about it, just approach the person about whom you feel suspicious, and address it respectfully.

It doesn't necessarily have to be a case where someone was kidnapped remember, it could have been that someone was concerned there was something of inappropriate activity going on and there were concerns. In many cases it's actually okay to react first and ask later for sometimes just as your asking a question it could be too late.

"mind-boggling dunderheaded"

You are my new favorite person.

I feel honored.

I feel like I need to use this phrase from now on. Mind-boggling dunderheaded. wow.

Feel free. A colorful vocabulary always comes in handy. (By the way, make sure "mind-boggling" is in adverb form (i.e., "mind-bogglingly) before that adjective in order to avoid sounding silly whilst trying to sound smart.)

It's because of the few unfortunately evil people. They tend to ruin things for everyone. Still, better safe than sorry.

They could have spoken to the kid and avoid all the hassle of having the cops come over.

One might argue that mass communication over emphasizes the bad in the world. I think people have forgotten that these bad acts are an exception to the rule, rather than society's norm.

Yeah, 11, but the kid could lie to protect their abuser, as abuse victims often do.

That just makes it worse. There is a reason I didn't mention it...

Scary stuff like that happens now. The person who called didn't know and wanted to safe rather than sorry. It happens. Now they know.

#60; Stuff like that has always happened. It's just that we're more aware of it because of instant communication and 24 hour news. Lindbergh Baby.

So we should ignore the risk? The person could've easily found out nothing was wrong in the story without calling the cops, but if it wasn't op's child then it's not that simple.