To think that some mums need to stop being so precious?

[LessonsinL]

I love young children and babies. I think they're adorable, and also think it's important for children to engage with adults in a social environment. Don't worry, I don't go round picking up young children and forcing chocolate into their hands, but if they're on the bus, I smile or wave if they look my way or appear interested. The look on the mum's faces when I do this usually very cats bum, like I'm going to steal the child..

Honestly, we're not all paedos and child snatchers! Who's with me?!

Seriously? Mums look at you in a negative way if you just smile and wave at their child?

YANBU if so - that is weird. I practically live on buses and have never seen (or given) such a reaction.

YANBU.

I always smile etc at babies and children and I'm amazed at the amount of dirty looks I get from parents

YADNBU. Where I live it's perfectly normal to smile and wave at other people's children. I forget sometimes when I'm back in the UK and sometimes feel as though I've informed the parent that I am about to stab their child. And this is usually with me holding my own smallest child. Very odd.

I always smile back at people who engage with my son! But there are some weird people out there!

What you interpret as dirty looks may be tiredness/shyness though, or just no reaction at all.

My MIL loves talking to babies and has never yet got a dirty look, she normally ends up engaged in a chat with the mum... oh, and we live in outer London too!

not so much on the bus, but I've noticed mothers be very precious ay TG espescially mothers of daughters, urgh gets right up my nose.

Some people say really stupid things though and it's hard to be polite then- see lots of "I can't believe what this stranger said to me" type threads on here.

YANBU my DS loves all the old ladies talking to him while we do the food shop and I don't mind a bit. I smile at babies if they're looking at me too and occasionally I've also noticed the Mum's doing a cats bum face. Weird.

Worried now that I have been drifting through life making faux pas left, right and centre! I have always smiled and talked to babies/children on buses, in queues etc, and never once noticed a cats bum. Now i love it when people smile and wave at my DS.

(scuttles off to review, and if necessary repair, cats bum radar (bumdar?) ),

I have never had anyone react like that with me!

What does amaze me is how when Ds (17 months) is in one of his "I will say hi to everyone" moods how few people even acknowledge him, especially those with children!

I've noticed lots o0f cats bums. It mystifies me as I used to love it (and feel very proud) when people smiled and talked to my dcs, especially when they paid me compliments about them as well. I always try to do the same as I remember how good it made me feel but the mums usually pointedly ignore me.

YANBU. I get this sometimes too, but most of the time the mums are friendly. My DH (father of four), though, adores babies and toddlers too, and they like him, but he frequently gets the look too. He says it's much worse being a bloke that way.

Have you got spinach on your teeth or a bogey hanging from your nose?

I get this too. Don't know what it's all about. I always encourage DS to smile and/or wave at people who speak to him nicely.

ByTheSea My DH is the same - it is even worse for blokes, I agree. If my DH is on his own, without me or our DS, he wouldn't do it as people just react badly

Sirzy I would always say hello to a child who said hello to me. People who don't are frankly mean and rude. One word is hardly a lot to ask.

I just smile back and then look the other way tbh, bus time is my quite, non speaking time, its a little bit of bliss in the day where i can just ignore, even better if i had a biscuit DS can munch on the journey home.
Sometimes people just don't want a random conversation so stop it before it starts.

Are you a....man?

Where are my italics?

Sadly due to my life experiences I am over anxious and believe there is a paedo around every corner, and yet even I do not have a problem with someone smiling at my DC.

Sirzy - I had this a lot with DS1 who said hello to everyone. I told him that the people probably hadn't heard him, so after that, if people didn't reply he would say "Mummy, did they not hear me?" A few did have the grace to look ashamed.

OP

I smile and talk to other peoples babies and children all the time

They all probably think I'm a barmy old woman though

YADNBU. My 7 mo DD loves interacting with people when we are out and will smile at people until they react to her. I get a bit precious when people don't react to her as she is a gorgeous, smiley baby who deserves their attention. Man or woman, you are very welcome to smile and wave at her. I would be wary of touching her as a very kind man in Tesco attempted to put her sock back on and got quite a kick.

Chickbean that's funny. When DD3 was about 20m she was saying hello repeatedly to an old miserable bat older woman in the supermarket. Said bat wouldn't acknowledge, so she shrieked it at her and then turned her head when the woman responded. to give her a taste of her own rudeness!