Does this boy sound suspicious?
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Anonymous
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What’s your opinion on this scenario: we were at a crowded public garden with our two young kids (4,7). An older child (10-11ish) started talking to our 4yo. “Hey, do you want to see something really cool?” I was within earshot but far enough away that the boy didn’t see me. Kids were unsure of whether it was ok to talk to him since he was a stranger. At first I thought he was just a friendly kid, but he wouldn’t let up and my gut said to keep close. He kept pushing them to leave with him, “here, follow me, I’ll show you something cool.” I didn’t see a parent with him. Our kids started following this boy into another section of the garden that was away from where I was. I was like wth, and stopped them of course. I firmly told our kids they are not to leave our sight with another stranger, and my 4yo started crying because he had no idea and then was scared. I was suspicious of the boy especially after he was so persistent in trying to lure them away from me, and also his general demeanor.
Question: 1) would you have been suspicious also? 2) how would you have handled this? 3) how would you frame it to your kids in these types of scenarios on how to act? |
Anonymous
| I'd have said to the kid, "hey, I'm sure whatever you want to show is cool, but can you see how it comes across when you go up to a little kid you don't know and try to get them to go somewhere with you?" |
Anonymous
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Definitely suspicious. I would let the boy know I am right behind and watching and listening. I would also ask him where exactly he wants to go and to show them as I am a parent and he has to run it through me. I might also ask if he is lost and where are his parents.
This was very random and very suspicious. |
Anonymous
| No, not suspicious at all. Likely an outgoing 10 year old who found something neat and wanted to show it to other kids. Why couldn’t you all just go with him together to see what it was? Obviously if he was up to no good he would have changed his mind once an adult was involved. |
Anonymous
| And btw, this should be in the parenting forum. |
Anonymous
| What was the thing that was really cool? |
Anonymous
We’ll never know. |
Anonymous
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A 10 year old boy with poor social skills is not inherently suspicious, no. You were standing right there! Do you believe he wanted to molest your children?
So you succeeded in frightening your kids. Why not just go with? Or ask him to tell you what he wanted to show them? |
Anonymous
| It sounded suspicious to me because a former student only a year older, lured away a preschooler and hit him with a rock “to see if he would bleed as fast as they show on tv.” Luckily, the younger boy survived. |
Anonymous
| No, not suspicious. Kid just wanted to show them something. |
Anonymous
| It would not have appear suspicious to me. I would have just came with my kid to see what was so cool. |
Anonymous
But OP was right there. |
Anonymous
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No, a 4th grader wanting to show younger kids something cool is not even a little bit suspicious. Honestly, I bet he was even younger than your guess of 10-11.
Medicate your anxiety. |
Anonymous
I agree with this. It would have been impossible for him not to see you. Now OP was rude, scary and even threatening to some kid she doesn't even know. I wish that kid had told HIS parent what had happened so HIS parent could address it with OP. |
Anonymous
| There are some tall kids that people assume are much older than they really are. Maybe this kid was 8. |