To be a bit shocked by what i saw today.

[TheLadyEvenstar]

I took DS's out today and shortly before we left I let the play in the splash zone.

DS2 had his shorts and t-shirt on as it was very very hot and sunny ds1 was in rolled up tracky bottoms and his t-shirt.

I was a bit shocked by a couple of things I saw.

1 was a little girl running around naked - which tbh made it difficult to take photos of DS1 and DS2 playing although i managed to avoid catching her in all but 1 photo and that one has been editted so she has now got black knickers on.

The other thing was a young girl possible 7yrs old in a tiny bikini who was crouched over the jets of the splash zone gyrating herself everytime the water shot upwards

Now while I wasn't directly watching her I could hear other people talking and finally one mentioned to her parents that this possibly wasn't the best thing for her to do in public.

I have to admit the 2nd thing was more shocking than the little girl running round.

"Misdee, I am not being a prude it was more the fact of adults being around without kids in the place we were and although I know not every adult is a peadophile you never know who is....yes I know I worry too much!"

So, in a crowded, public space there is a small child naked and another small child innocently finding that jets of water feel nicer on (from the context of your posting) her genitals than on her leg.

Let's look at the problems. Firstly, you're implying that people should do something about convincing a child that vaguely pleasurable feelings on her leg (a warm dog perhaps, or the sun, or a water jet) are OK, but a few inches higher up and it's nasty and shameful. Well, that's positive.

Secondly, those paedophiles you're so concerned about. Suppose for the sake of argument that every single adult present was sexually excited by pre-pubescent children and was busily filling the hard drives of their computers with as much Level 5 illegal material as they could manage. How would a child running around naked in a public area, or a little girl finding out that some things feel nice, be at risk? Are you saying they should be told to stop what are entirely innocent activities because, well, someone might be watching and enjoying it? How would you frame that conversation, what do you think the child would get from it, and what risk are you protecting them from?

i give up. am going to bed.

Oh, and photoshopping black knickers onto photographs of children you've taken is just weird, and says a lot more about you than about anyone else.

I never said they should be taught its shameful. I was shocked thats all...maybe I just worry too much.

I was sending the photos to family members, because i couldn't cut her out without cutting half of DS2 out i put some black pants on her. Says nothing about me except I am not sending pictures showing a naked child who is not mine to anyone whether it be a boy or girl.

I could have blocked the image totally by putting a tree in front of her its no different to that tbh

why would adults without kids be a worry?

surely the kids had parents/carers with them, no harm would come of adults hanging around.

no problem with wee girl splashing about,your salacious interpretation is a bit ott

Why not just delete the picture with the naked child, if you had others?

"as i said it wasnt a water park it was within a zoo and there were an awful lot of adults alone on the area. which is situated next to a coffee shop."

So my guess is that had one of the adults present made a run for it with a child tucked under each arm as a prelude to a night of debauchery, someone might notice and stop them? And that had a sexual assault taken place right there outside the coffee shop, there would have been a slim chance of an intervention by a bystander?

Since we've not been reading about a spate of sexual assaults on children in broad daylight in public places in front of dozens of witnesses, could you outline precisely what you think the risk that we should be worrying about it?

Paedophiles dont need to see either skin or gyrating to feel attracted to children. It kind of just happens. You know, by virtue of them being paedophiles and all.

Attrributing mitigation is a slippery slope.

"shocked" seems somewhat of an over reaction. It all sounds like normal water play behaviour for young children.

my kids strip off whenever they see water, my 10yr old usually keeps his pants on now but thats because he has reached the age where he is aware & a little embaressed.
Both of mine would find it very funny to have waterjets splashing their bum... nothing sordid about it just kids being kids.

Some of my happiest memories as a child are of stripping off and running through the paddling pool at the park or running in the sea.

Honestly not everyone in the world is a paedophile.

those girls are more likely to know anyone that would try to or succed in sexully abusing them. strangers in a public area in broad daylight are way down teh scale when it comes to risk.

Wow, photoshopping pants onto a child is really weird.

I am entitled to an opinion and tbh I wouldn't allow my sons to run around naked in such a public place, now thats just me,Mrs smith up the road may be happy for that to happen. Doesn't mean its something I would do.

I am not saying every adult without a child is a peadophile but you just never know who is.

As for deleting the photo it is a particularly nice one of DS2 enjoying the water and I like the photo of him.

my four year old loves sitting on the fountainy thing in the splash pool and shouting I'M DOING A PEE PEE while directing the flow. what must other parents think of her?
bit of an over-reaction i think, ladyevenstar.

what point are you struggling to make?

The two children you mention were behaving in perfectly appropriate ways.

They were playing.

You are projecting your own fears onto their normal actions.

You sound over anxious.

Not horrible or mad but definately over anxious.

Edam, ok let me put it this way.
If i had the photos on bebo/twitter/myspace/fb and you via a friend of a friend came across a photo of mine with your naked DD in it although I had not realised she was in it at the time of taking it, would you be happy with that?

Although my photos are set to friends only.

I have said I worry too much - am the first to admit that though.

i think getting her out of the photo is fine, tbh, ladyevenstar, but i'd probably have plumped for the tree option.

you're off onto hyberbolic what if terrotory.never pleasant

I'm also bemused at this assumption that paedophiles don't have children. Plenty of them do, surely? Does reproducing ensure you are a wholesome person? Or don't unsavoury people do anything that us normal people do? Doesn't Rosemary West have children? Doesn't Vanessa George? Wouldn't they have looked entirely at home in a water park?

I honestly think that this assumption that shielding children from the view of passing childless males is how to protect them from abuse is really strange.

#Actually you know you are right Shocked is not the right word.
I am more than likely over anxious but we all have our reasons for the way we feel about things.

And I guess personal experiences play a big part in that!!

However I am willing and happy to admit I over reacted.

Hester, I never said all peadophiles do or don't have children. I know they do have children and I know some don't. I have already said I probably over reacted and am willing to admit and accept that.