Just looking for some opinions. I have been on holiday abroad for a few days with my family. My youngest child is 9 and enjoys cooking and baking etc.. he is more than capable of using sharp knives and utensils and I have no worries about this. I am actively encouraging my children to be able to do things for themselves and act in accordance with their own wishes and capabilities.
At the hotel restaurant he was getting himself some bread rolls and using the bread knife to slice them. He can do this perfectly safely and does not need any assistance or I would have been there to do it for him. A stranger approached him, literally took the food from him and then sliced the rolls for him, despite him and his sister telling her that they did not need help. He was really upset due to the fact a stranger thought she knew better than him and touched his food. The food was then wasted as we don't know the persons hygiene so they wouldn't be eaten. I did approach her and pointed out that I was sure that she thought she was doing the right thing in "assisting" my son however not to do so as he was more than capable and if he wasn't I would have been helping him, she seemed convinced that he was going to slice his wrist open, he's never had an accident during cooking (he's been doing this for several years) and that "he shouldn't be doing this in front of everyone". It was so bizarre and was just wondering how you would have reacted?
The end result is she was pissed off that I told her that he was my child and I would be responsible for him and to stay away from him. It was all very odd.
This hasn't impacted on my holiday but it was just so strange I wondered what others thought.