details..
I recognized OlMom's sarcasm... but the sarcasm didn't dismiss the point, which is that by the OPs own admission the man was doing nothing more than sitting in a shelter in a public park that happened to be located near the playground.
It is the only shelter in that area of the park, so if someone wanted to sit in a shelter to rest, that would be their only choice.
I will admit that what he said was pretty lame.. but he may have simply been embarrassed at the look the OP is likely to have given him when she rushed over to protect her child and blurted out the first thing that came into his head.
CaptainBroncs...
I am afraid of spiders. When i was younger i literally jumped on chairs to avoid them. It took my 3 year old son to show me that it was just a spider... and that you could let them crawl into your hand without harm.
I still am not comfortable with spiders crawling on me, but i have learned that most spiders are harmless and i let them go their way as long as they stay out of mine.
Mommy radar is nothing more than fear for the safety of your child... and like all fears can be greatly exaggerated.
Because i was sensible enough to learn from the example my child set, my kids are not afraid of spiders.. or snakes.. or of the other things that can keep me sleepless while camping outdoors.
Transmitting my fear of spiders and snakes to my kids might not have been harmful to their development.. though it certainly would have stopped by daughter from taking advantage of a mine inspection trip in South America where she slept in native huts high in the Andes... but there are many fears we transmit to our children that are dangerous.
Teaching our kids to be afraid of people sitting by themselves in shelters near a playground is one of those fears that could ultimately be harmful.
if you shift your perception and think of that person as another set of eyes and ears protecting your child, they would be the person you would want your child to run to.. not from.
This little old lady rests in shelters when she walks by herself... and those shelters are most often located near playgrounds. I have been the object of suspicion for nothing more than tying the shoe of a child whose parent wasn't paying attention.
I heard that child get an earful about the dangers of strangers as she was clutched protectively in her mother's arms after being rescued from me. I guess i am lucky that the police weren't called or the incident relayed on the local public forum.
Yet, had that child been in danger I am their best resource. Having been molested as a child I am more than willing to put myself in danger to protect a child.
Mommy radar isn't always accurate...
That is the point i was trying to make... and one that i hope some young mothers hear.
I was not molested by a stranger.. i... like the majority of the statistics.. and like the majority of those i talk with.. was molested by someone who lived in my home.. someone i trusted.
yes, there are still perverts out there.. but they are far more likely to be sitting in your living room sharing your laughter than sitting by themselves in a park shelter.
You can better protect your children by teaching them to talk to you about anything that makes them uncomfortable and asking them questions instead of dismissing or exaggerating their fears... thus teaching them how to evaluate their fears.
When you jump to conclusions, you often jump to the wrong one.
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