Do you talk to parents of the opposite sex?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Latin neighborhood?

OP. I don’t want to make it about race but yup.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dad's probably a cheater.


But it's totally fine to talk to parents of the opposite sex. Talk not flirt, I generally consider flirting in font of your kids tacky.

This. The kid probably heard their arguments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Latin neighborhood?

OP. I don’t want to make it about race but yup.

That my immediate guess too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Uhhh... I'm having a hard time believing that this really happened. Of course I talk to other parents, male or female. Same with my husband. But we're adults and I trust him not to pick up women at the playground and he extends that same trust to me... lol.

OP here. I live in a very….dramatic….community. Mostly people from another culture where jealousy and control are the norm. Once I dated a hot guy (I’m divorced) and my friends’ husbands banned me from bringing him to get-togethers in case their wives, I dunno, hooked up with him in the bathroom.

So I’m not totally surprised, but just wanted a reality check that this isn’t normal. I don’t want to cause trouble for anyone but I also don’t want to be treated like I’m some temptress looking to steal husbands (that I don’t even want, ha).

NP here. I think it’s odd that the daughter was the enforcer. That said, I tend to err on the side of being conservative about these things and I won’t just go up to a dad and strike up a full on one on one conversation with just us. If it’s a larger group of people no issue if they get pulled into the conversation. If it’s a one off, like you see their kid do something cute or conversely if the kid fell, I might might make a quick comment. But I honestly don’t want to open up the potential for there to be a misunderstanding about flirting or interest with a parent of the opposite gender. I am also cautious in general about people that I don’t know and my kids don’t know.

[Anonymous]

I was once innocently chatting with a dad at the playground when his son ran up to us, looked at him, looked at me then asked “are you two getting married?”. The dad looked very embarrassed!

[Anonymous]

Woah soooooo awkward!!!

Yes I talk to opposite gender parents all the time. I think a lot of playground dads can feel left out so I actually try to include them in conversations if I can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Woah soooooo awkward!!!

Yes I talk to opposite gender parents all the time. I think a lot of playground dads can feel left out so I actually try to include them in conversations if I can.

(I try to include moms too if I think they might want to chat)

[Anonymous]

That’s bizarre! I often chat with men at the playground or at school.

[Anonymous]

Only if they are my spouse

[Anonymous]

Yes of course and if I become friendly with the dad I always make an effort to become friendly with the wife too. The dad so talk to the most I actually started out wanting to friends with the wife first but she was kind of aloof and he was more approachable and now he and I are friends. We have gone through periods of texting all day but it’s mostly bc we both have anxiety and I would feel comfortable with her reading everything that is written and often send my greeting a to her through him, happy bday etc, but she still does not reciprocate which bums me out a little.

[Anonymous]

I'm polite but not particularly interested in talking to any parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes of course and if I become friendly with the dad I always make an effort to become friendly with the wife too. The dad so talk to the most I actually started out wanting to friends with the wife first but she was kind of aloof and he was more approachable and now he and I are friends. We have gone through periods of texting all day but it’s mostly bc we both have anxiety and I would feel comfortable with her reading everything that is written and often send my greeting a to her through him, happy bday etc, but she still does not reciprocate which bums me out a little.

I probably would reciprocate with a woman who thought it was appropriate to text my husband all day and discuss the details of his anxiety either.

[Anonymous]

?????

If this is real, I cannot imagine this poor man's embarrassment.

Of course I talk to both fathers and mothers. Where are we, Saudi Arabia?

[Anonymous]

I’d honestly rather talk to a dad than a mom (I’m the mom). All moms seem to talk about are their kids. I’d rather talk weather with random dude than hear about Larlo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Uhhh... I'm having a hard time believing that this really happened. Of course I talk to other parents, male or female. Same with my husband. But we're adults and I trust him not to pick up women at the playground and he extends that same trust to me... lol.

OP here. I live in a very….dramatic….community. Mostly people from another culture where jealousy and control are the norm. Once I dated a hot guy (I’m divorced) and my friends’ husbands banned me from bringing him to get-togethers in case their wives, I dunno, hooked up with him in the bathroom.

So I’m not totally surprised, but just wanted a reality check that this isn’t normal. I don’t want to cause trouble for anyone but I also don’t want to be treated like I’m some temptress looking to steal husbands (that I don’t even want, ha).

NP here. I think it’s odd that the daughter was the enforcer. That said, I tend to err on the side of being conservative about these things and I won’t just go up to a dad and strike up a full on one on one conversation with just us. If it’s a larger group of people no issue if they get pulled into the conversation. If it’s a one off, like you see their kid do something cute or conversely if the kid fell, I might might make a quick comment. But I honestly don’t want to open up the potential for there to be a misunderstanding about flirting or interest with a parent of the opposite gender. I am also cautious in general about people that I don’t know and my kids don’t know.

You are preserving an outdated and very damaging outlook on relations between men and women by doing that. The world is a better place when fathers look after their kids, go on paternity leave, talk to other parents about their children. They cannot do that if they are limited to a small pool of other fathers. It doesn't make the job of engaged father very appealing, does it, if the women shun you just because of your sex? If you don't engage with all parents regardless of sex, all you're doing is perpetuating gender stereotypes. And we all know what that does: continued gender imbalance in the home and in the workplace, and thus continued challenges for your daughters to grow into careers and challenges for your sons to grow into engaged fathers.