i think i may be getting paranoid. today i took my baby son to the beach, it was windy so we sat on a bench and watched yachts and people, birds etc. nice.
then a japanese woman walked up to me ( she purposely strayed from her path ) and said " oh what a beautiful baby". she then proceeded to chat to my son, hold his foot ( um, as you do to babies? ) and say how lovely his eyes are. now, i am not disputing the handsomness of my son of course, but i actually found it almost scarey that this kindly woman was so friendly. i even began to hold my boy more firmly around his tum, as my mind ran a horror movie of baby-snatching.
this isnt the first time. at my local shops there is an elderly couple who started a conversation with me when i was at a cafe one morning. now when they spot us they rush over and gush and goo over my son, this sounds mean but i feel uncomfortable with their 'over-friendliness' and after the first time i also began to harbour suspicions about them!
am i mad? do i need 'help' ?
i lived in a large city prior to this, but i dont recall any specific instances of 'baby-snatching' that could have made me so nutty about strangers.
is it me? or is it the way the world is seemingly more dangerous now?
im not a shrinking violet by any means, i dont lurk in corners afraid of shadows and im not scared by many people. but i have become incredibly suspicious of what are possibly just nice people.
― donna (donna), Saturday, 2 November 2002 06:23 (twenty-two years ago)
no, its ok. i have decided i am losing the plot.
― donna (donna), Saturday, 2 November 2002 06:37 (twenty-two years ago)
Being overly paranoid in order to keep your child safe is *fine*.
Forming opinions of other people based on that paranoia is not.
As long as you remain clear about that distinction, then you're
fine, and just playing it safe.
― Dave Fischer, Saturday, 2 November 2002 10:18 (twenty-two years ago)
maybe your baby is so incredibly cute that people are preternaturally drawn to coo at him.
― DV (dirtyvicar), Saturday, 2 November 2002 13:19 (twenty-two years ago)
I think people, in general, are way more paranoid recently then say in the 50s. They get convinced by the news and media that everyone is out to get them or thier children, or eveything could go wrong for them. Wouldn't it be so much nicer to be able to talk kindly with strangers and be able to enjoy yourself. I guess this is still true in very small towns. In more populated areas what percentage of people out there are crazy enough to want to snatch a baby, and even more crazy to be able to go through with it, yet not crazy enough to seem from apperance to be crazy. Safety is nice to a degree, but it sucks when it takes over the ability to enjoy an experience. And I should add for a mother or someone looking out for other people this paranoia is somewhat warranted.
― A Nairn (moretap), Saturday, 2 November 2002 16:41 (twenty-two years ago)
From the other side, I feel nervous about even smiling at children I don't know, any more.
A few weeks back, I was in a predominantly black, mostly working class, neighborhood, to pick up my date. I made a wrong turn and ended up going out of my way by a couple blocks. There were lots of families sitting outside. I noticed some very young kids sitting on a step, somewhat removed from any adults. I was afraid to even look at them, thinking I didn't want anyone to think I was some crazy white child snatcher. (I felt conspicuous being white, a stranger, and being dressed to go out to a club.)
― Rockist Scientist, Saturday, 2 November 2002 16:52 (twenty-two years ago)