stranger giving my child money

It sounds as though it was just a lovely gesture as your boy had been excellent in his behaviour.
Years ago it was tradition for older folk to produce a pound coin from begind a child's ear.

If this was a child out alone, then yes I would find it suspect but considering you we're with your child I can't see why you would assume anything other than gratefulness tbh.

A sad sign of the times that something do innocent has now got this sort of reaction.

An old gent at church used to bring me sweets every week, guess he must have been trying to groom me

but apparently it's lucky to put it in the child's palm

It's superposed to show what the child will do with money as an adult, if they hold on they will be a saver, if they drop it the will fritter money away - eating it

One thing my Geordie Nan used to do was stick a 10p coin into any Champagne corkscrew used for Celebratory things then give it to the youngest child. Anyone else know of this?

Not to give to a child but for luck, or to mark a celebration so if you order champagne to celebrate getting engaged someone should do the coin (silver) in the cork for you to keep.

It's very common where I'm from (north of Scotland), my cousin would go for a walk round town with her PFB if she needed some loose change. We now live in the (English) north east and it has never happened to me here, and I'm quite happy to chat to random old folk about the bairns.

OP relax, it was just a nice gesture. Nothing sinister about it at all.

Err that's a very normal thing to do especially if the man was of the older generation. Why would you be freaked out by kindness?

Glasgow here and whilst "older" people definitely almost always give the baby "some silver" , my two have also been given money in the pram by younger women (20-30's). I think I got more with DS as he was an absolutely beautiful baby. Blonde hair, big blue eyes and a happy wee chubby face. I remember a Big Issue seller who was a bit worse for wear remarking "Aww hen, check the mince pies oan your wean !" Think it was a compliment.

I understand your concerns if you've recently had the shock of the news of your former friend but I'm sure this guy meant no harm. Maybe it just made a change for him to work with such a happy co-operative child ?

Used to be done Up North a lot. Usually the older generation. As long as long as you impress he must only accept things when you/DP/Granny/Uncle Tom Cobly is around, no harm done.

Totally common in Southern Germany where I grew up, don't know if they still do it there but would be surprised if they didn't.
dd got coins when she was a new baby in Dundee, it never happened to ds as a baby here at the West coast of Scotland, but he is a winter baby, maybe we just didn't get out with him enough.

It's just kindness. I've had it done to me, had it done to mine and done it to others! Soon all the random acts of kindness will be squashed out of the world because they are deemed "weird" or "creepy"

In fact I remember being 11/12 and getting the train to school. Often we'd get chatting to people on the train and they'd press 50p into my hand or whatever. It was really nice!

What's worrying and offensive about a small child being given a 50p or £1?

When my two were little we used to chat to people in the supermarket and they'd often be given coins for being well behaved and smiley. It was really sweet! We'd just pop them in their money boxes, you don't have to buy sweets with it if that's what bothers you.

What's the problem?!

Old fashioned but harmless.

My DS was given 50 p by an old colleague, he said they used to give silver to babies.

I gave sweets to a child when I was pregnant ( I used to carry sweets in my handbag when pregnant), his mum was breastfeeding his sister and he was running. I thought it would help his mum.

I can't believe this is offensive now :(

I've never heard iof it happening and I wouldn't feel comfortable.

we have loads of 'lucky corks' (sarf lahnden). i think traditionally it was a sixpence or threepenny bit.

Corkscrew - corks!

MiL told me about this when DD was born, and for research purposes I can say Yorkshire is way more into this tradition than SE London .

One thing my Geordie Nan used to do was stick a 10p coin into any Champagne corkscrew used for Celebratory things then give it to the youngest child. Anyone else know of this?

Silver for a baby is considered lucky (why all christening presents are silver). When i was a baby mum took me to the pub and the locals filled pint pots with silver coins. I made £40 and that was in 1977!

DD accumulates quite a few things from strangers but so far never money (must not be a SE10 thing ). She was been given a Werther's Original and a pocket torch by complete strangers in the last week!

I used to spend most summers in Greece - with white blonde hair I'd make a killing whenever we went near shops. The shopkeepers would come out to touch my hear and give me either money or sweeties - my poor sister who wasn't as blonde as me never made as much money..

The first time we got a taxi to the airport with DSs 1 & 2 we had the loveliest taximan. The boys were about 6 and 4, and in open mouthed awe at the experience if being in a mini van!
They said thank you after and the taxi man gave them a £1 each. He said they had made his day, and were to buy themselves something on holiday.
DH and I thought it was lovely!
YABU OP. Relax a little!

My dad always used to put a silver coin in a pram/cot as a good luck thing.

I would have said its a Scottish thing, mostly done by older people. I'd also heard of older folks tucking coins into babies prams, sometimes complete strangers and not necessarily just good acquaintances.

I found pound coins in my (then) 4 month old's pram when I went to put her in after a feed at a funeral wake. It was a Scottish funeral, I'd never heard of it before and never knew who put the money in.

Easy Pag. Remember your blood pressure

But yeah, 50s is hardly geriatric. Most of my friends in their 50s have primary school aged DC.

Haha!! It is very normal. My kids often get money from strangers because they are "beautiful" or just stood nicely, or played nicely etc. When they were babies, if we took a trip around Morrisons, their pushchairs would often get filled with coins from lovely ladies. We are scottish and it is old fashioned but still done.

DS1 got loads of money
DD just got random people coming over and telling me variously
"she has an old soul"
"she has been here before"
"she is a crystal child"
"her eyes drew me over here"

It was very weird. The money was way better