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The night Max got the munchies: Boy aged three goes on a 3am trek in his pyjamas to buy some sweets
Last updated at 10:21am on 08.08.08
Adventurer: Max McGrath, dressed in pyjamas and oversized shoes, headed off for a sweet hunt... at 3am
There are times when you've got to have sweets and you just can't wait.
So when three-year- old Max McGrath woke up in the middle of the night, he knew exactly where to go - the local supermarket a mile and a half away.
As his parents slept on, oblivious to his mission, Max unlocked the front door and slipped outside.
Wearing his turtle-decorated pyjamas and his older brother's shoes, which were two sizes too big, he padded down the dark streets all the way to Somerfield.
So far, so good, the youngster must have thought.
But, understandably given his age, Max had not quite thought things through.
It was 3am, the store was closed, and he didn't have any money.
So it was that overnight delivery driver James Brown spotted the disappointed child peering through the supermarket's windows and asked him what he was doing there.
'He told me in a very matter-of-fact way that he was going to the shop,' Mr Brown said yesterday. 'He told me his family were at home asleep.'
Max was able to direct his rescuer to his house in Longridge, near Preston, but they could not raise anyone inside - so Mr Brown called the police.
The youngster's parents were woken to find an officer with their boy, and yesterday his mother told of her shock
at what happened.
'He is very adventurous but it's a complete surprise he would do something like this,' said Amy McGrath, a 30-year-old nurse.
'It is terrifying to think what might have happened because he must have crossed several roads. And I didn't hear a thing.'
Max was reunited with his parents at about 4am.
'The door was doubled-locked,' his mother said. 'Max has got the key, unlocked the door and walked out.
'Now I just keep reliving it over and over in my head, thinking about what could have happened to Max. I'm just glad he's safe. Anyone could have found him but I am very grateful that James stopped and brought him home safely to us.'
Mr Brown, 23, from Bolton, said Max had been waving at supermarket staff stacking shelves, but no one noticed him.
'I looked at him and thought, 'That's not right'.
'I had a look around to see if there was anyone there and then I asked him what he was doing, and he said he just wanted to go to the shop.'
Delivery driver James Brown, who spotted Max peering into the window of the Somerfield store a mile-and-a-half from his home
The driver, who was finishing his shift delivering newspapers when he saw Max, added: 'I asked him if he knew where he lived and he said, 'Yeah', so we started walking, but it began raining so I asked him if he wanted to go in the van and he said, 'Yeah'.'
While waiting for police to arrive, Max happily chatted away.
Mr Brown said: 'I asked him whose shoes they were and he was telling me about his brother.
'He was saying he was starting big school soon and he was telling me about turtles because he had his turtle pyjamas on.
'He was fine, but it must have been such a shock for his family when they found out what had happened.
'I have a child about the same age and it is terrifying to think what an adventurous youngster can get up to.'
Miss McGrath, who lives with her partner and their older son, said: 'When we asked him why he went out he said he wanted some sweets. He didn't say what sort, he just said he wanted sweets.'
She is now keeping the door key out of Max's reach.
Max's route: How Max walked from his home to Somerfield
Reader views (27)
Wow I feel bad for the Mom! You don't deserve the treatment you have recieved from the readers! What a shame you have to deal with the horrible comments. Gosh I thought the story was amazing! When I was a child I walked outside and My mom freaked out! She thought I was in the pool! I was also having a snack! haha Hey i am still here.
- Amy, Elkhart, Indiana/USA
Reply to Jackie White, Surrey - door was double locked!
- Mother Of Child, Lancashire
There is such a thing called "locking" the doors at night - not just to keep burglars out.
- Jackie White, Surrey
To the mother of the child: As a 7 year old I used to sleepwalk, one morning at around 5am my parents were awoken by the doorbell. When they opened the door they found the milkman and me. I had somehow, in my sleep, dragged a chair to the front door, opened the high latch that was there to stop me from getting out, opened the door and wandered off to the sweetshop on the corner where the milkman found me, curled up asleep on the doorstep when he started his rounds. Luckilly we lived in a fairly small town and he knew who I was. You have done nothing wrong at all, my parents were the best in the world but even they could not have foreseen the sheer determination I had to get out that night.
- Suzanne, Kensington
Fi, Hamilton, Lanarkshire - I do sleep, just not deep enough not to hear what's going on in my house. Further more I have two boys aged 3 and 5 and work 2 jobs, one full time and also part time evening and weekends, also cleaning the house and entertaining my boys who are very active, so I know what I'm talking about!
- Miss P, Middlesex
Speaking as a mum whose 3yr old climbed through the nursery school window so he could ring the doorbell. Thank god it was the ground floor he went through, an intelligent child will find ways of getting where he wants and as any parent knows it only takes a few seconds of not watching, and that's less than a loo break.
- Karen, minehead england
Fantastic story, I have a 3 year old who would try anything for sweets. For once a great story showing there are still lots of good honest people about, even at 3am. Glad he got home safely & I hope he got his sweets. Mother of Child must be proud of raising such a clever lad, if a little nervous with it.
- Ed, Aylesbury, Bucks
What an intelligent little boy knowing where the local supermarket was, OK I know it was 3am but children of that age don't understand time. What a fantastic, kind man the delivery driver was as there are some strange people in the world today. I sleep quite heavily but I would hear my front door open and close especially if the entire house was quiet. Glad the young child is safe and well also the local supermarket should at least give the child free sweets for any inconvenience caused.
- Nicki, bridgwater somerset
To: Simon Caleb, London
Obviously you do not have children or you wouldn't make such a moronic comment. And everyone else going on about how did he unlock the door - Well I imagine it could have been a modern double glazed door where the middle handle operates the whole locking mechanism and not that difficult for a 3 year old to open!
- Matthew, Grays, UK
I don't think there's any basis for bashing the parents from what I've read about this story. I remember doing some surprising, unpredictable, and difficult things when I was a little boy - adventures that must have given my parents some sleepless nights despite all their best, wonderful efforts to keep a watchful eye on me. Hate to think of what I put them through, all those years ago. Fortunately I survived it, and Max has survived this little adventure. Maybe he'll grow up to be an astronaut or mountain climber...
- I'Ve Been There, Max, New York, NY, USA
I am a parent too and I read these comments in sheer dispair. How on earth can you put blame to the parents. When I first read the story I thought wow how amazing a child aged 3 did this, he is very clever. My next reaction was OMG what if something had happened. The family realise they will never be so lucky again but with an older child who has severe autism, the mother holds down a full time position to better her and her children's lives. Not only does this parent work hard she also has to deal on a daily basis the effects of autism with her oldest son, which alone is a job in itself.I believe you should always never Judge a book by its cover.
- Clare, Durham, England
I fail to see what these parents could have done to prevent this. Doors locked, and *shock* sleeping soundly, how very dare they? I nearly inhaled my coffee Miss P - how on earth do you get any quality sleep? By the way, Sue from Orpington - *who's* the school responsible for the spelling ? Dim-Wit Academy, I presume....
On a more congratulatory note - how brave of James Brown to go with his instincts and take the poor kid home - rather him than me in a vehicle with a child bereft of chocolate.
- Fi, Hamilton, Lanarkshire
I bet he grows up to be an excellent explorer!
- Nick, London
Good on you, Mother Of Child! As if looking after a toddler in modern Britain isn't hard enough - anyone else with a sprog the same age will understand.
- Roz, Chamonix, France
Entirely agree with Mother of Child. I have two children and it's simply not something you would expect a child to do. And only a child crying would rouse me in the middle of the night after a day looking after them. I have to say I'm very impressed he could find his way to the shops - a bit of initiative which, if directed at other things, will take him far! Good on the delivery gentleman, too.
- Sara, London
I would like to start by saying we are in no way bragging about this, we agreed to do one story in local paper to thank Mr Brown for what he did, we have refused all press and tv interest. We are very good parents our older child has autism, so we are very safety concious, the door was not left open, Max had found the key, our door has low handle so that's how he reached it and no, we didn't hear him - maybe due to being so tired from long shift at work and caring for two children, never thinking our 3 year old child would be capable of this ever never mind 3am. Maybe people should think about comments they make without knowing the full facts. This could have happened to any parent - and lesson learned, keys will be with me when I sleep from now on
- Mother Of Child, Lancashire
At 3am the sweet-toothed toddler climbed out of bed, slipped on his brother's shoes and armed himself with his pocket money and a front door key
Did the people who were quick to judge about the little lad getting out not read the above correctly?
- Rebecca, London
Good for the little blighter, in five years time and overly obese, I doubt if he will want to walk the mile and a half to get to the shops!
- Raminder Bhalla, Northolt
Says more than enough about his parents. Not something I would have bragged about that's for sure!
Perhaps social services would be interested in hearing the details?
- Simon Caleb, London
Little scamp. Bet when he is 5 he will forget walking to the shop and just take his parents car keys and drive there instead.
Very lucky that a responsible adult found him or this story could have been tragic rather than cute.
- Smb, London, UK
He'll be a millionaire or in prison by the time he's 30! Cool kid. Glad he's safe...that'll be one for his parents to tell his future girlfriends!
- Deano, Essex, UK
Well Miss P: young children love routine and having watched my two (2 and 5) I'd say that if the door is normally unlocked with a key (which it's sensible to keep in the lock in case of an emergency like fire) and then shut behind them when they go shopping, that is exactly what a toddler will do. He'd thought it through carefully enough to borrow his brother's shoes and some pocket money, after all! I also think it's perfectly acceptable for parents of a 3 year old to be so completely knackered that at 3am they're hard to wake up: if it's your second child, you develop a knack of ignoring them if they scream, let alone cough!
Well done to Mr. Brown: so glad he thought of the child and not of what other people might think if they found the child with him.
- Roz, Chamonix, France
What a mystery! How does a 3 year old manage to open a front door, which is presumably locked. He had a front door key? His parents never heard the front door when the lad brought him back. Whose his parents, Mr and Mrs Dim-wit.
- Sue, Orpington, Kent
I'm puzzled too. How did a man pick up a child and put him in his van without being shot to death by jumpy marksmen as a suspected paedo?
- Neil, london uk, Airstrip ONE .
I'm puzzled too. How did a man pick up a child and put him in his van without being shot to death by jumpy marksmen as a suspected paedo?
- Neil, london uk, Airstrip ONE .
Can you imagine the hell he'll put his parents through when he's a teenager. Sweet little lad, he'll go far.
- Jane Bewick, London
I'm puzzled, how did a 3 yr old leave the house at 3am. Every night our doors are locked and windows checked. Furthermore how did he shut the front door? Lastly how come the man that found him had to call the police as he couldn't get hold of the parents? I presume they were asleep in the bed, but if my 3 year old so much as coughs, I hear it.
- Miss P, Middlesex
