To think my friend should be teaching her child better stranger awareness

It depends. Generally, there’s nothing wrong with a brief chat with another parent.

But not everyone is up for chatting. It really is as simple as that.

I like your friend and I think YABU. I talk to people all the time, every where! And I encourage my kids if they are comfortable to do so. I honestly can't see it as danger, chatty assertive kids are less likely to fall victim anyway, and there is massive jump between small talk on a bus and going off in the back of a van.

Dh gives money to homeless people all the time, he says he doesn't care if they need it for drink or drugs, it could stop them robbing someone else or if nothing else it makes them feel like the world isn't against them. I've told my kids if they do want to talk to a homeless person only do it with an adult present, in an open place and always make eye contact and never ask personal questions. If life had dealt us a different card we could be them and vice versa.

Are you sure this isn't a reverse and you just want people to say how lovely and generous you are without actually telling people about your good deeds?

Seems like you're around an awful lot when she's doing this stuff.

Chatting at the bus stop is completely different to giving your 5 year old a fiver and making her approach a homeless person to buy his life story from him.

Performative and ghoulish at the same time. It’s on a par with the types who pose for photos at Auschwitz

You spend Christmas Day with them every year in their restaurant and happened to be passing as she donated hundreds of books to school?

She sounds patronising and performative. Funny that her “charity” always involves flashing the cash.

Homeless charities specifically ask that you don’t give money to people on the streets, you are not helping. As for using people to “educate” your kids right in front of them. Fucking grim.

What exactly do you think is so wrong, reckless and “stupid” about it?
My child and I often chat to people at the bus stop, at the park etc. Why are you pretending it’s so weird? I think your insular life is the weird one.

then fair enough to her, she does care!

I think this is how I feel about it.

Other people aren’t a book, to be discussed and learned from in front of them.

It is absolutely fine to talk about the lady in the wheelchair away from her hearing and explain why some people can’t walk very well (or at all), how they might feel about it, and how we can be helpful and considerate. It would not be fine to talk TO the lady in the wheelchair or about her in her hearing!

I actually find it a bit patronising. Let’s give money and have permission to interrogate the downtrodden in society. I wouldn’t do it because it’s none of my business to know about anyone’s troubles.
Performance parenting!

If you're one of the posters who thinks it's fine... would you ordinarily encourage your dds to start conversations with random men in the street?

This.

Your friend sounds great.

What's reckless about it?

It sounds perfectly fine to me.

I have endless compassion for people on the streets but pretending that many of them aren’t troubled and disturbed is misguided.

I don’t think anything would have happened on this particular occasion; I don’t like it though - not everyone wants to chat and homeless people are included in that, but I do think that it encourages a sort of naivety which isn’t wise.

That said, I think stranger danger isn’t taught much now because we don’t let children out unsupervised until they are considerably older than in my day. I have a four year old and haven’t told him explicitly not to go off with strangers.

Stranger danger is much less of an actual danger than family. Statistically, abuse and violence to children almost always comes from people known to the child. So I do t agree that teaching your child to have a conversation with people is inherently dangerous, no.

Stranger danger is an outdated concept

It REALLY is not, what a stupid thing to say.

It doesn't mean you don't warn and prepare kids about non-stranger danger.

If they were men, and I assume some of these people were ....do people really encourage their daughters to strike up conversations with random men in the street.... homeless or not?

Easy to check if she's performing or more genuine. What volunteering does she actually do to help out if she's that compassionate? What help is she actually giving people?

Charities are struggling with lack of funding, even schools are massively struggling. How many hours a week does she give?

It’s good parenting
jusy because someone is down on their luck or mentally ill it doesn’t make them more of a threat than anyone else

talking to people in a busy space with friends and family around is dangerous how exactly ?

I think it’s excellent parenting.

That's an incredibly stupid thing to do

Yanbu

Wow your friend sounds amazing. Were that we were all so kind and compassionate.

She wasn't encouraging it when she wasn't there. She was teaching her daughter a valuable lesson.

Stranger danger is about when you are alone as pps have said.