To think this woman was being a bit ott?

[headfairy]

in the park today, in an enclosed children's play area I heard a woman talking to her dd who was roughly 6 years old. She told her where she was going to be sitting (the dd was halfway up a climbing frame at the time) which is fair enough, she then told her "if an angry man comes and tries to drag you away remember to scream really loudly".

Is that an odd thing to say to your child, esp as the dd was really not listening being halfway up the climbing frame?

Seems a little odd.

How bizarre! And what a fabulous way to instil fear
Especially since her mum was right there anyway!

Sounds like that mother on that Cherry Wotsit programme who appeared to have shown her daughters all the awful newspaper stories of killings etc. and wouldn't let them go anywhere without her.

You don't know the backstory. If there is one, you'd feel awful for judging her. She sounds paranoid but who knows she doesn't have some cause?

It does seem odd unless she had a particular angry man she was worried about perhaps - who knows.

Perhaps she has a violent xh? That sounded like a very specific warning. Otherwise, v odd.

Wow. Unless the child is under real threat from a dad seeking custody or similar, that really is a bizarre and twisted thing to say to your child.

I've explained to DD that if we get separated at, say, Legoland, she is to yell very loudly if anyone tries to take her anywhere that she wants to wait right there for her mummy to find her.

But in the park?!?!?!

True but it seems odd to say it when she (the mum) was right there with her daughter in the park.

LRD... If there was some terrible back story surely the woman wouldn't take her dd to a crowded play area and then sit the other side of it. Mind you I did think "I wonder what on earth is going on in her head to make her say something like that".

Perhaps she said 'angry man' instead of 'a stranger' (which is what I would say) because she has reason to worry about an ex tracking her down and trying to drag the kid off. It sounds to me like she's expecting someone to show up

True, as in maybe a backstory
..................< must explain what I'm responding to>

head - maybe, maybe not. It could also be the woman is paranoid because something bad happened to her or in her past.

But if she was expecting someone to show up why be there in the first place?

When I run into the petrol station I usually say 'don't let anyone steal you all, and watch the baby, they'll probably go for her first' [ blush ]

Well, she has to go out sometime esp. if she has a small child. Perhaps the weather was nice and she thought she'd risk it. How would he know that she was there anyway? My ex doesn't know where I hang out with my dcs. Perhaps she was just feeling vulnerable and wanted to warn her daughter on the off chance that he tracked them down.

'Hungry man' would be even worse I can't imagine some random bloke going around kids play areas dragging them off to be eaten

She definitely said angry man. If it was an ex wouldn't she just say if you see Daddy/Dave/stu/Peter come and tell me?

If she had some terrible experience she didn't show it, she looked pretty relaxed, because it was such an odd thing to say I had to look and see who said it.

Jeez. What if a mellow man came and tried to drag her away?

Out for my evening jog/stroll/walk and finally crawl tonight.

Family walking towards me. Mum, Dad and two gilrs maybe 6/7. Mum grabs one girl and says' stop running, pavements are for walking'

Maybe me, but I was confused.

I thought walls were for walking

I've told my dc's that if someone tries to get them to get into a car/go with them, then they should shout and swear and draw attention to themselves in the hope of attracting attention.
Maybe that's what the lady in the park was on about.
If I was out with my dc's and they were never out of sight and shouting and swearing were going down, the dc would be grounded.