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!

We had some batshit woman follow us around the Art Gallery of Ontario (equivalent of Tate Modern in Toronto), taking photos right in DS’s face with a flash. And she got a right strop on when I caused a scene, saying it was her right to make babies cry by taking photos in their face “because it was art”. She was 40s-50s, ie plenty old enough to know better and not old enough to pretend to be clueless. Horrible woman.

@DoggoInMyTesla

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?

@DoggoInMyTesla why do I need to get a bit wiser when I literally spoke up straight away and got her to delete the picture? Just because I’m looking back on the situation and laughing at her response, doesn’t mean I need to get a bit wiser

It's perfectly legal.

Just as well the old lady happened across the OP and not you 😅

You'd be surprised just how many people are recording or taking photos of people the bus. Two close family members are bus drivers and it's almost a daily thing in one form or another, people making tik toks as they get on the bus with out of date bus passes and to see if the driver notices, or recording themselves selfie style and ignoring the fact the person behind them doesn't want to be in their tik toks but has nowhere else to sit, recording people if they're wearing anything unusual, I've certainly see tik toks with people going "saw this cute kid on the bus today" or recording the driver while moaning them going too fast/too slow etc. It's not even just young people either.

I don't think it's ok but i keep being told if you're in a public space you can't expect not to be in people's photos and videos.

It was obviously the wrong thing to do hence why I asked her to delete it…

If I would have came on here and said ‘I saw someone take a picture of my baby today but I didn’t say anything.’ I’d have all type of comments telling me to grow a backbone and speak up. But because I look back and find it funny and I’ve used an emoji in the title, I’ve done something wrong. Haha can’t win on here

why do I need to get a bit wiser when I literally spoke up straight away and got her to delete the picture? Just because I’m looking back on the situation and laughing at her response, doesn’t mean I need to get a bit wiser

Because if you were wiser, theres no way you’d think this was in any way funny. Even if they deleted it.

You did nothing wrong OP, such heavy weather being made over an emoji 😬😵‍💫😯🙄

@DoggoInMyTesla Get a grip.

Goldijobsandthe3bears

I have one thanks. Wise up.

@Changechangychange

We had some batshit woman follow us around the Art Gallery of Ontario (equivalent of Tate Modern in Toronto), taking photos right in DS’s face with a flash. And she got a right strop on when I caused a scene, saying it was her right to make babies cry by taking photos in their face “because it was art”. She was 40s-50s, ie plenty old enough to know better and not old enough to pretend to be clueless. Horrible woman.

Fucking disgusting way to behave. Sounds like a few posters on here think it's OK though, which is really worrying and disturbing. Glad I don't have young children now to be honest, with people like this on the streets.

Good for you for causing a scene. Hopefully this unhinged and entitled individual YOU encountered will think twice before invading a child's privacy again. Ewww how weird.. How the fuck are some people on here saying this is OK?

I had a group of tourists taking pictures and videos of my wedding because it was at Gretna 🥴😂 mad to think some wee family somewhere are sitting with wedding photos of me in an album somewhere. Long since divorced too 😂

@DoggoInMyTesla Yeah, ok..

@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.

Why ?

I mean obviously people shouldn’t do it, but why would you go loco?? It’s very dramatic.

@babyhaha, Was the lady a foreign national? This happened to my baby niece in westminster 4 years ago. I asked my sister why did that woman take a picture of her little girl? She said oh shes a tourist and they take photos of everything children, phone boxes, black taxis etc...
It is bizzare though. Good luck when your newborn arrives xX

@DoggoInMyTesla

why do I need to get a bit wiser when I literally spoke up straight away and got her to delete the picture? Just because I’m looking back on the situation and laughing at her response, doesn’t mean I need to get a bit wiser

Because if you were wiser, theres no way you’d think this was in any way funny. Even if they deleted it.

@DoggoInMyTesla I find her saying, ‘thank you, I respect your decision’ funny because that’s an odd thing to say after being caught taking a picture of someone. If you don’t find that funny then that’s your opinion. I don’t need to wisen up

@Goldijobsandthe3bears You really do NOT like anyone having a different opinion to you, do you hun?

You're in the wrong place dear.

I must have missed where anyone says it was ok??

I wish I had done that when my dd was little. We were at Warwick Castle with her cousin the same age, both dressed as princesses and some random woman started taking their pics. This was nearly 10 years ago and both myself and my sil didn't have the confidence to approach her and our husbands (brothers) thought we were being over the top! Chances was just a tourist seeing cute little girls dressed up in a castle but I wouldn't accept that now. Well done xx

Ewww, Hun? I dislike aggressive people yes. It’s not about the difference of opinion it’s the piling on with regards to an emoji. If you read what I actually said before flipping your lid you’d see that I too think it’s a bizarre thing to do, but yeah don’t let fact get in the way of your temper tantrum’s

Sorry thank you for the comments, I’ve got distracted over my choice of using an emoji and what I find funny!

So interesting to hear of people just randomly taking pictures of kids. As I said, I know it’s not illegal but it’s very odd. I know people record more because of social media and they record random people’s reactions to get views and stuff but taking a picture of a baby just to keep it in your camera roll or whatever is super weird

It is very odd and I can’t imagine why anyone would want to do it.

I agree with you OP, it's more amusing than sinister.
For every person who would take a photograph or otherwise engage with a child for nefarious purposes, there will be several harmless, thoughtless, slightly eccentric people who just really like kids, and don't know that the world's changed. From her reaction giving you her phone, it seems she was clearly one of them.
I think you handled it perfectly OP, and are plenty wise enough, given you can obviously tell the difference between something a bit odd and a genuine threat.

[quote bruce43mydog]@babyhaha, Was the lady a foreign national? This happened to my baby niece in westminster 4 years ago. I asked my sister why did that woman take a picture of her little girl? She said oh shes a tourist and they take photos of everything children, phone boxes, black taxis etc...
It is bizzare though. Good luck when your newborn arrives xX[/quote]
@bruce43mydog thank you! She didn’t seem to be a tourist at all tbh. She just looked as if she was having a day out and was on her way somewhere

Really weird thread 😄 already descended into hun-ing 2 pages in!