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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Taking photos or on phone call

12 replies

Whatdidisee · 29/08/2019 23:31

Name changed as it's quite outing. I was in Madrid airport during the week with dh and our dc. Past security at the gates there was a play area for children with a slide. We sat down and let the dc play on the slide. Then I noticed sitting directly in front of the slide was a man with his mobile, he was talking into it as if it was on speaker and holding it up Infront of his face so the back of the phone was facing the slide, I found it odd as there were loads of empty seats all over the airport. Just something felt off. I felt he was taking photos and not on the phone to anyone. I told dh that I wasn't happy here and we gathered up our things and the dc and moved to a different area to wait.
Now I keep thinking about it and I feel I should have told someone , but I felt that I was perhaps being unreasonable as maybe he was just sitting there chatting on the phone. My gut just told me to move. My DH also thought it was strange he sat there with so many other spare seats all over the airport. We were there for a few hours so had walked it to pass the time! I do know that he's allowed to sit anywhere he likes but since he had no children playing there or any sign of children traveling with him ,I felt on edge. Please be gentle as I can't sleep thinking I should have done something.

OP posts:
dollydaydream114 · 29/08/2019 23:45

I think the most likely explanation is that he was wandering around aimlessly killing time and someone called him and he sat down in the nearest seat to take the call.

'A man has a phone in the vicinity of a play area' is not really something you can report or do anything about. If he was taking photos of the kids, all the police or airport security could do would be to tell him not to. It almost certainly wouldn't be an actual crime if your kids were clothed and in a public place.

You do know, don't you, that paedophiles really don't actually need to take photos of random, fully clothed children in public places to get their rocks off? And that if they want to look at pictures of children for sexual excitement they can easily access far, far more explicit material any time they want? It seems pretty unlikely that anyone who was attracted to kids would need to take pictures of children just doing normal child stuff in a busy public place given that they could see that happening literally anywhere at any time they wanted.

rosiejaune · 29/08/2019 23:56

^This.

And maybe he was on a video call, hence holding the phone in that orientation?

Nicknacky · 30/08/2019 00:00

I wouldn’t give it any more headspace, to be honest.

KOKOtiltomorrow · 30/08/2019 00:03

Why the name change .... I’m sure lots of people were in Madrid airport last week! Sounds innocuous to me but appreciate you were concerned. But realistically what could you have done? Man with no kids is in kids area. It’s an airport - people sit where they can!

dollydaydream114 · 30/08/2019 00:10

And maybe he was on a video call, hence holding the phone in that orientation?

Exactly. The OP's description just sounds like someone Facetiming to me.

BackforGood · 30/08/2019 00:17

As everyone else has said.

Chouetted · 30/08/2019 00:21

Doesn't even have to be facetiming - would also match the behaviour of someone who had headphones rather than a handsfree headset - you have to hold the phone in front of you and talk into it.

Pinkdoor · 30/08/2019 00:24

Do you think he's wanking over photos of your kids on the slide? Are they especially sexy children?

Get a grip!

user1473878824 · 30/08/2019 00:32

OP it’s lovely that you’re alert etc but maybe chill out slightly. A man sat on a seat at an airport and looked like he was making a call. 😬 what would you have even said when reporting it to... who?

Whatdidisee · 30/08/2019 01:23

Thanks for all the replies, I'll sleep better tonight! I was overthinking it

OP posts:
Kinneddar · 30/08/2019 01:36

Name changed as it's quite outing

Hmmm its really not

TheKarateKitty · 30/08/2019 04:51

He was probably Face Timing.

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