Woman took pic of my DD on the bus today😂

[babyhaha]

So I had a miserable start to the day today.
I’m 38 weeks pregnant and will be having my C section on Tuesday. I booked a restaurant for DD, DP and I so we can have one last meal just the three of us before our newborn arrives. Whilst we were on the bus, the driver announced that the bus had to terminate as Westminster Bridge was closed because of protests. So here I was with the worst PGP known to man having to walk from Lambeth North all the way to the other side of the bridge.

Anyways! We were finally able to get on a bus and when I got on, I parked the pushchair in the wheelchair space and sat next to an older lady who was already sitting down. I noticed she was on her phone and then suddenly she put her phone up as if to take a picture. I looked at her phone to make sure it was facing her and not my DD but my surprise, she had put it facing DD and had actually taken a picture of her! (DP was also in it)

I said to her, ‘excuse me, why did you just take a picture of my child, delete that.’ She said ‘oh she’s just so cute,’ I said, ‘you can’t just take pictures of kids you don’t know without asking, you need to delete that.’ She deleted it with no hesitation and then I asked her to go into her recently deleted and delete it from there too. She didn’t know how to do that so she let me show her. She then replied ‘thank you, I respect your decision’ ???

It was such a bizzare but funny situation to be in. When I think back, I keep laughing because it just felt like a surreal moment! The last time I caught someone taking a picture of my DD, he was so embarrassed I caught him and was stuttering trying to give an explanation as to why. This woman’s reaction is so different to that and it’s making me chuckle. It’s also making me think how normal this could be? Do you ever see a cute baby and just take a picture of them without asking their parents? Has anything like this happened to you before?

And before anyone starts, this isn’t a case of PFB. I would have said the same if someone took a pic of my 14 year old sister, another family member or even a friend. You can’t just go taking pictures of people you don’t know because you want too!

No that is such bizarre behaviour 😳

Absolutely not normal, I'd even ask the owner of a cute dog before taking a picture. I think you did the right thing both times you've noticed this happen. While it would be different if she was caught in the background of a photo for example, taking a direct and blatant photo of someone unknown to you is very strange. Make me wonder what she was planning to do with it (not in a sinister way), share it? Look at it again later? It's just a little odd.

When I taught in Asia I was on a school trip in a sort of heritage museum place. The kids were having a tea ceremony lesson in a ground floor building and other visitors were wandering around. A bunch of white American tourists walked past and started taking photos of the children. I was furious. The kids weren't part of the museum! Their parents hadnt given permission and I doubt these tourists would dream of taking photos of random American kids on a school trip.

The building had wide glassless windows if that makes sense

It’s odd, weirdly legal though 😄 I once had a carer approach me as the person they were with wanted to take a picture of my son as he was covered in head to toe with mud, I let them but it’s different as they asked.

I doubt these tourists would dream of taking photos of random American kids on a school trip.

Of course they would

I’m not sure why you find it funny.

We're they a bit older? The person who took the photo? Because I don't think people used to worry so much years ago, before the internet. We've got a few family photos with random kids that no one can remember who they are, probably because I was talking to them, or they were talking to me, someone thought it was cute and took a photo. I know there was never all this signing for permission etc with schools and the internet didn't exist. It was all a bit more innocent then and cameras weren't as prevalent. So maybe they weren't up with the modern way of looking at things.. ie it's a complete no-no and you should ask?

@WabbitsAndWeasels

Absolutely not normal, I'd even ask the owner of a cute dog before taking a picture. I think you did the right thing both times you've noticed this happen. While it would be different if she was caught in the background of a photo for example, taking a direct and blatant photo of someone unknown to you is very strange. Make me wonder what she was planning to do with it (not in a sinister way), share it? Look at it again later? It's just a little odd.

Yes exactly! If DD was just in the background then there’s nothing that can be done about that.

Make me wonder what she was planning to do with it (not in a sinister way), share it? Look at it again later? It's just a little odd.

This is what DP and I were saying once we got off of the bus. He said he thinks she would have just had the picture in her camera roll and would stumble across it and be like ‘the weather was so nice on this day in central London. I even saw this cute baby on the bus’ sort of thing. I also wonder if she would have sent it to a friend or just kept it in her phone. So strange!

@TheSnowyOwl, seriously 😒

I don't get the LOLing with 'tears rolling down my cheeks' emoji.

There is nothing remotely funny about what she did. Why the light-hearted tone to this thread? I'd have gone fucking loco if anyone had done that when mine were little.

That is totally bizarre behaviour. I was thinking about taking a picture of the epic queue for fish and chips at the beach today to send to a friend, but couldn’t do it without getting lots of peoples’ faces so didn’t do it.

@TheSnowyOwl

I’m not sure why you find it funny.

@TheSnowyOwl because her response of ‘thank you, I respect your decision’ is an odd thing to say when someone’s just asked you to delete a picture of your child….

@MurmuratingStarling You sound more scary than the old lady tbh

I said, ‘you can’t just take pictures of kids you don’t know without asking

The thing is she can, so you're lucky she deleted it really.

@TheSnowyOwl

I’m not sure why you find it funny.

Exactly what I said. There's nothing 'funny' about it. It's creepy and sinister, and as weird as fuck. Sounds like she is unhinged to me Posters thinking it's OK, well, that speaks volumes about them..

@MurmuratingStarling

I don't get the LOLing with 'tears rolling down my cheeks' emoji.

There is nothing remotely funny about what she did. Why the light-hearted tone to this thread? I'd have gone fucking loco if anyone had done that when mine were little.

@MurmuratingStarling oh sorry I forgot you can’t use emojis on MN for some bizzare reason. If I want to add an emoji, I’ll add an emoji. There was no need for me to go ‘fucking loco’ as I’m able to communicate in a calm way that it’s inappropriate to take pictures of kids you don’t know without asking. The picture was deleted so no need for me to go loco

I don’t really understand what’s funny. I think you need to get a bit wiser OP. I’m not even going to write what my first thoughts were. Wtaf?

[quote Goldijobsandthe3bears]@TheSnowyOwl, seriously 😒[/quote]
Yes, seriously. What is there about it that is funny? I’m not being disingenuous either.

And your unhinged and aggressive attitude speaks volumes about you @MurmuratingStarling. It’s not illegal but guess what ‘going fecking loco’ in public is…

@VyeBrator

I said, ‘you can’t just take pictures of kids you don’t know without asking

The thing is she can, so you're lucky she deleted it really.

I would love for someone to take a picture of my baby and tell me they’re not deleting it. Okay maybe there’s no law about it but how can you take a picture of a baby, get caught and then say you won’t delete it. That’s insane

Because I don't think people used to worry so much years ago, before the internet.

But years ago you wouldn't have a camera with you on a bus ride. You would have a camera only on holidays and days out and a 24 photo film would last a month.

It’s inappropriate but not illegal, unfortunately.

This is the sort of thing my MIL would do. I know she’s not in London today, otherwise I would have been worried. She takes pictures of everything food, random people, places. I don’t think she does anything with them. At my wedding she insisted of having a photo with a friends baby. Never had met friend or baby before. My friend was so shocked she handed the baby over.

I should add I find her behaviour odd.

I have auburn hair and lived in China for a year. I regularly was photographed by random people, people would just touch my hair, I think that was a novelty factor rather then cuteness.

[quote Goldijobsandthe3bears]@MurmuratingStarling You sound more scary than the old lady tbh[/quote]
I know right.

I scare myself sometimes.