On the other hand, if lathany had been screaming "I want my toddler", she probably would have got all the attention and assistance she needed.
The thing is that small children are not even slightly trustworthy sources of information. In particular, if a small kid is with an adult, then it takes a lot to accept the kid's word over the adult's, or to do other than assume that the adult really is responsible for the kid.
The benefit of this behaviour is that a kid can't shut down a supermarket just by throwing a strop and forcing their parent to justify what's going on to everyone nearby and then every single person they meet on the way home. The cost is that some small proportion of kidnappings will succeed where they would otherwise fail. So no, I'm not terribly worried because the trade-off is probably worth it.
no subject
The thing is that small children are not even slightly trustworthy sources of information. In particular, if a small kid is with an adult, then it takes a lot to accept the kid's word over the adult's, or to do other than assume that the adult really is responsible for the kid.
The benefit of this behaviour is that a kid can't shut down a supermarket just by throwing a strop and forcing their parent to justify what's going on to everyone nearby and then every single person they meet on the way home. The cost is that some small proportion of kidnappings will succeed where they would otherwise fail. So no, I'm not terribly worried because the trade-off is probably worth it.