At the self service checkouts, I noticed a little girl (perhaps 7 or 8) looking at me. I had an "unexpected item" so assumed that was why she was looking, but then I became conscious of it and realised she was staring at me! I don't know why, as I wasn't wearing anything unusual and I don't think that I look remarkable, either in a positive or negative way.
As we were going out she was staring again and when I was getting into my car she and her mum (I presume) were getting into the one next to me and she was just staring. It was really making me feel uncomfortable and I said "hi, is there something I can help you with?" Girl turns scarlet, gets into the car and mum drives away. As I drove off she was staring again.
AIBU to think this is really rude? It made me feel really disconcerted (and yes I have checked and my skirt isn't in my pants or anything!)
AIBU?
to have told the child in the supermarket to please stop staring
twilighteyes · 22/07/2013 18:34
This reply has been deleted
Message withdrawn at poster's request.
Well, a little girl was looking at you (normal behaviour)
And that made you feel very uncomfortable 
So you embarrassed the little girl with a passive aggressive comment 
And (probably because your rudeness had made her even more curious) she stared again.
Yes, you were being unreasonable.
Kid "staring" at adult =normal, inoffensive.
My dd has Aspergers and she used to stare when she was younger. I constantly prompted her to stop staring but she really couldn't help it.
She still remembers a woman who got quite aggressive with me on the bus once about it 
But it's not something you should lose any sleep over. 
IMHO.
She might not have been taught that to stare is rude which wouldn't be her fault but would be something she'd need to learn in time. I remember working with a couple who were recent immigrants and much more senior and older than I was as a recent graduate. My attempts to ask their guidance would be standing, silently behind them as we had been taught was polite with teachers, waiting to be acknowledged. They found this terrifying and extremely rude, it is not the done thing to "creep up" upon someone in their culture, you should cough some way away or otherwise let them know you're approaching. Odd but I needed to be told 
at some of the bonkers replies on this thread!
YANBU to find it odd, and I don't think your comment was horrible or 'rude and uptight', just a little bit of an adult phrase to use with a child. Do you have kids yourself? At its worst, what you said was a very mild admonishment for a socially unacceptable behaviour. Are 8 yr old children such delicate little flowers now that we can't speak to them or gently correct their behaviour without terrifying them/scarring them for life?
I'd have smiled in the first instance, then if it continued I'd probably pulled a silly face or grinned at her and said 'am I very interesting?'. Or if I was in a shitty mood I may have stared unblinkingly back with a raised eyebrow. I'm an 'orrible child scarer, me. 
Really Fanny, you don't think that a 7 yr old should and does know stuff? They know loads of stuff!
Don’t want to miss threads like this?
Weekly
Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!
Log in to update your newsletter preferences.
You've subscribed!
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.