WTF crazy people on holiday!!

[Khaleesisdragons]

On holiday atm with my husband and our two children. A caravan in the U.K.
The other day we were walking along the beach and my nearly two year old son was chased out of nowhere by a foreign tourist and grabbed so her daughter/friend could take a pic of him and her together!! Iv never moved so fast in my life I grabbed him off the women and yelled at her. We then walked off (me carrying him) and she followed us. I'm still in shock now! Has anyone else experienced weird behaviour like this?! I can't believe people think it's acceptable to treat a child like that!

I used to live in Asia and this used to happen a lot. My son is blonde so lots of the locals would take photos of him or want to have photos of their children with him.
I got used to it in the end.

Well the leaping out of nowhere is terrifying! You must have got a fright.

But like theotherside I've experienced people wanting to take photos of my dc. Happened last week in fact at the Lego shop in Leicester Square.

My son is also blonde. Is that a thing that people like? I can't believe this is a thing? What do you say when people ask for photos?

We were once sitting in a restaurant in central London - family meal with small children - we got the best table, in tiny and cutely decorated alcove. Our food arrived and then the foreign couple (I think they were German?) on the adjacent (not so cute) table asked to take a photo of us eating... I was so surprised and bewildered I didn't think to say no, but it was very odd, uncomfortable and inappropriate - and I immediately regretted letting them do so.

Happened to me as a child in the 70s we were in London and there are now (presumably) photos of red headed pre-schooler and a couple of Afro-Caribbean men somewhere abroad!! Apparently these men kept staring and pointing at me so my parents used their camera to take photos of us so they could show their friends/family back home. It was with lion statues.

Tourists (from an Asian country) wanted to take pics of blonde DD2 because she was dressed all in Fifi the flowertots clothes in Chester once. They were very polite about it and asked for permission and were very gentle/kind to DD2, so I didn't have an issue.

I can see why OP objected though

I used to allow photos etc when I lived abroad as it was the norm but if someone jumped out of nowhere here and grabbed him I would be uncomfortable I think .

Travelling in Thailand and UAE this has happened a few times. Dd had long fair plaits back then and light green eyes. Indian families mainly would ask for photos with their own children. My mum was horrified when I told her but we had just got used to it.

I am a red head and when we went to India years ago we went off the beaten track with a local guide.

twice he had to rescue me from photo situations where groups of women wanted to be photographed with me and wouldn't let me leave. once from some men who were just a little too interested in me. I was travelling with my fiancé at the time!

Yes this has happened to me too.
We used to live abroad and a coach of tourists were at the same tourist destination as us. We were there on a school trip, they really took to a little girl in my sons class and were all trying to take her picture and she got quite distressed. One then came up to my son and stroked his face singing to him, she meant it kindly but it really freaked him out - he's very shy!
We had to repeatedly ask them to leave the children alone.
A year later, back with friends at same tourist destination and our friend was physically pushed away from the handles of her daughter's buggy so that a woman could hold on to the handles and have a picture with her daughter!
In all cases the children were blonde and blue-eyed.

wow some of these stories of terrible!! I can't believe it's a thing to be honest. Luckily he didn't really click what had happend so all the distress was on his dad and I. He fell over in a pile of wet sand about 5 mins after it happend shame it wasn't before I don't think they would of wanted a pic with a toddler cover in wet sand.

This happens to us with DS. He has flaming ginger hair (think bright, bright, orange). We find East Asians or Indians love having their photograph taken with him. DH's office is mostly made up of Indian staff and DS gets very special treatment whenever I go in with the DC. It takes us an age to leave because they all want to stroke his hair. DS loves it, little show off that he is!

Similar happened to my cousin and her son. They're not Irish but were living in Ireland at the time, American tourists wanted to take photos of her (very) red haired son.

When my son was about 9 we were waiting at the bus stop and he was reading a book. Two tourists came along and started taking photos of him "because it was so cute to see a child reading".

I always think this when I see "gap year" photos on Facebook - endless pictures of random cute local children . How weird to take photos of strangers' children as if they are a tourist attraction!

I've had Chinese and middle eastern tourists take photos of my blond blue eyed son when he was a baby. There's always been some interaction first though even if they haven't asked permission. I've found it odd but it hasn't particularly bothered me, although your situation is far worse.

This happens frequently when I'm in London with dd, blonde hair and blue eyes. I can see why the pouncing on you was alarming!

We were in Portugal in a nunnery and the nuns there were rather taken with my blue eyed blond haired Dsis, should have left her there😋

Happened to my husband and i when in india many years ago

People just kept standing right next to us and getting their friends to take pictures of us 'all together'

I've had it happen to me as a child and as a parent. I would guess at 6-20 years ago in Tunisia with my Father and Step-Mother, walking along the street with men coming up, stroking me, offering my Dad money etc...
On the London Eye a few years ago, just myself with my ds6 and dn3, the rest of the pod were Asian tourists, they would not leave the children alone, kept trying to separate them for photos, they were friendly but it was very uncomfortable in the confined space, and the children got upset. Couldn't wait to get out.
Again all of us blonde hair, blue eyes.

16-20 years ago even!

My boys are all very blonde and in Portugal it is considered lucky to stroke a blonde child on the head. So they've always had lots of attention from elderly people mainly when we've been on holiday.

The first time dd and her friends aged 13 went into our touristy town alone, she came home and said 'oh and these people took our photos, but it wasn't anything weird, honestly'. Turns out four middle aged female tourists had asked to take a photo of the four of them. Their hair is kind of mousy blonde I guess.