What do you think of this situation?

[pastabakewithcheese]

We moved about a year ago and have winced settled on the road. Neighbours are quiet and keep themselves to themselves but are nice, not many young families on the road.

There's a man who regularly visits the woman who lives about 6 houses down, I assume from what I've seen that he is the father of her 2 kids but he's not always there so I assume he doesn't live there or is registered at the address as he often parks his car on an off street bit of land because he hasn't got a permit for the road.

The woman's never really said hello, and doesn't smile - she's not foreign before anyone asks if this is the reason. But this is where I start to feel uncomfortable about the man's behaviour - he's overly friendly at times. A few examples:

Once I was on the other side of the road about 7 houses away from his house walking with my then 22month DD and she stopped to jump in and out of someone's front garden, she was laughing, I was making it into a game of peekaboo. The same man was smoking in his front garden and he's not even within earshot but was watching us and laughing an almost very overdramatised laugh, a laugh that you had to project to get someone to hear when they're that far away, either to get a bit of attention or to attempt to join in? Did this for a while until I picked DD up and went on my way.

Another time it was snowing and DP and I went outside in the early morning and played a bit in the snow, no one else was outside and we stayed in front of our house, the next time I saw him he mentioned he saw DD (now 2yo) playing in the snow having fun jumping around throwing snowballs etc. So he must have been watching from a window?!

Aside from this every time I cross paths with him since I've moved here, he always smiles and tries to interact with DD, talking to her, and not in the same way as the other neighbour dads do. He'll try and actively approach her and just seems a bit of an over invested interaction which he tries to drag on where the other neighbours just give a quick "hello" or a short passing comment like "look how you've grown!" And then be on their way.

I do feel uncomfortable and just something feels off, don't know if I'm reading into it or if it's mother's intuition?

Overall he does seem like a creepy character anyway and I'm quite worried but I don't really know what to do about how I feel or if I'm just being irrational and unreasonable?!

It sounds like you're really overreacting. Some people just love kids! In many cultures this would be considered totally normal behaviour. In the UK everyone seems to read too much into things and see sinister signs in ordinary, innocent behaviour. Its sad to me that in the UK so many people accept ignoring children or complaining about children as perfectly normal bevahiour, but when someone is friendly and polite they see it as creepy or weird. Also if you live in a close its not really strange for someone to watch you from a window. I used to have a little nose at what my neighbours were upto all the time! I could see them when I was washing up, or sat in my bedroom. Its hardly crime of the century to look out of the window. Sorry but I think you're really overreacting.

Thanks for all the replies, yes I'm genuinely on edge about things like this having been through a few things in childhood myself (really did not want to mention this in my OP because I hate having to bring it up but along the lines of inappropriate behaviour from males in my neighbourhood). So again just asking if I was just being completely irrational or not as my judgement is somewhat clouded by my own experiences.

I've heard her talk to her kids, she's got a thick cockney accent so she speaks English. I only said that because if she didn't speak English then I'd understand why she doesn't talk but she does.

I said I assumed he was the Dad don't know for definite, could be a step dad or a new partner of hers, and the car is parked directly next to our house although we don't own that land so that's how I know all these things. But I don't act on them or mention anything to him like he does.

Also you do tend to pick things up about your neighbours if you spend time in your neighbourhood right? I'm not spying on him in the slightest but it's the same as me knowing that one neighbour is really good friends with another neighbour because you'd see them popping round each other's houses if you're off to work in the morning.

Maybe I'm just more wary/notice more things as it's a new area and my own anxiety about it.

Thanks for the replies, makes me feel a little better that I could just be reading into it too much and it's nothing more. I think I will just keep my distance for now but I would definitely not confront him or say anything