Our study is upstairs, and I can kind of see the back of our one neighbours house over the wall.  Our garden is quite big, so we’re not living on top of our neighbours, but the trees aren’t quite high enough yet to block their kitchen windows and door from our view.

Last night, I was sitting at the PC blogging and twittering away when I hear shouting and their child shouting and crying (they have a little girl that must be about 3 years old).

Now I don’t often hear shouting from the house, but the child crying is not big news… kids cry!  That’s what they do… but what happened next was not normal by any account.

Then I hear the child screaming.  It was blood curdling.

So I open the curtains and look to see whether I can see anyone.  It was pitch dark in the house and garden.  Only a few upstairs lights were on.  And the screaming continues.

The “mother” must have noticed me watching, because the kitchen lights then came on, and the door opened.  She THEN LET THE CHILD INSIDE!!!

You could have blown me over with a feather!! What kind of “mother” leaves a 3 year old outside in the middle of the night and switches all the lights off???!?!?!?

That poor child.

Of course, I tweeted about it, and Graeme responded saying I should phone the police.  I suppose if we lived in another country that would be an option, but I seriously don’t believe they would do anything about it.

But what I promise I’m going to do… is keep a watching eye on their house.  If this happens again, I swear I’ll go outside and give her a mouthful or something.  There’s absolutely NO excuse for that in my mind.  It’s child abuse.  If your child was making you so mad, give her time out in the bathroom or something! You DON’T leave them alone in the dark… especially not outside the house!

I actually feel sick even thinking about it.