Stranger taking photo of my baby... Why?!

[Twistybottomsclickytops]

Yes, I need to be more assertive.

Today i took my baby to the park and we were watching some older children feed the swans. He was in his pram.

A lady came up to me and gestured around to the river and area we were standing and said "is it ok if i take a picture?"

Assuming she meant of the general scene, with us in it, I smiled and said of course.

She then knelt down next to the buggy and took a selfie with my baby??!!

She then stood up and walked off without a further word.

Why would someone do this?! I did think about chasing after her and being like "what on earth?! Please delete that!", but a) I'm not assertive in the slightest, and b) I was a little stunned!

(My baby looks like an average baby. Not a stunner..!)

Long shot but are you sure she was kneeling down to take a selfie, or might she have been kneeling down to get the best view/angle of the river scene?

Who knows.

Was she a tourist?

I was stood behind the buggy so could see her screen, and it was a picture of their faces only. I was not included in the picture (#offended )

She likes babies? No law against taking photos of people in public places. Why fret?

Probably thought your baby was adorable. Doesn't really matter does it?

She spoke with a foreign accent, and we live in a touristy place, but thousands of internationals live here, so could be a tourist, could be a resident.

If she was a tourist, it's an odd choice, as my baby wasn't wearing a union flag hat or anything to make him a particularly British scene..! If anything I look more British than him, as his dad is from overseas so he looks a bit more Scandinavian than British if anything...

It doesn't really matter no. I just would never want a photo of me and a total stranger's baby. But maybe I'm in the minority. I just thought why would anyone want a photo of them and my average looking child?!

We've had strangers ask for pictures of our kids before.
The kids were around 4&3 and we were in Disney, not dressed up or anything, they were loving their blond hair blue eyes.
Dh was weirded out by them

Sorry I think thats really weird! I would have definitely asked her what on earth she was doing.

Is your baby blond? In some countries, particularly China and Japan, blond hair is rare and tourists with it can get stopped and asked about their hair colour.

i had this once, a couple asked for a pic with my son, he was around 5 at that time, in London central... they seemed nice, couldn't speak English and at least they asked, DS was amused!

He is white white white blond, so maybe that was it.

I have very pale skin and have had people stop and look at me or ask for a picture in Thailand and India. I don't really mind!
And she did ask you, you just misconstrued what she was asking.

I'v had people ask to take photos of my children, always say no. Very strange I think to want photos of other people's children's. Nothing you can do now but try to be more assertive if it happens again.

My youngest child has very blonde hair & had lots of photos taken when they were younger especially by tourists

Dd1 was holding ds once when we were asked if they minding having a photo taken. The lady was an artist and she took photos of things she thought she might want to paint.

I knew the baby would be blond. Was the lady Asian? This seems to be a "thing". I don't get it but it seems harmless!

I think it's the blonde hair, blue eyes thing. My brother had blonder hair than the rest of us and when we were in China lots of people wanted to touch him

My first experience of true culture (grew up in a very rural place with no diversity at all) was going to Kuala Lumpur after I’d been in Bali. My hair was really blonde from the sun and I have very blue eyes. I was asked many times by young girls if they could touch my hair, and a beautician asked to do my make up as she’d never been able to do western skin before. I remember clearly feeling sad that these beautiful women and girls wanted to look like Britney Spears, and that Lancôme shouldn’t have been allowed to sell skin whitening fluid.

It was probably because hes blonde.My parents went travelling in India and my blonde mum had people asking to have her to have her picture took with their babies.She was bemused but flattered

When I was a very spotty and awkward 11 year old I had a few random local people taking photos of me and touching my hair in Cyprus of all places! Saying how beautiful I was. I was DEFINITELY NOT (and still not) beautiful. (If I was an actress I would be applying for the ‘ugly lady’ roles.) But I am ginger and apparently that was pretty unusual over there. The weirdest thing ever for a kid used to being the ugly one!!!

(Thinking about it, maybe the ugly was the real reason..... )

I’m not for one moment suggesting your baby is ugly by the way!!!!!!

I had this some years ago, a group of Japanese tourists asked to take a photo of DS as he had such blond hair, they were nice about it so that was fine.