children befriended by elderly man without adult close by

[Sum1els]

2 little kids sat in front of me at front of a bus, quietly joking around, doing kid stuff. No sign of a parent but they were ok.

Oldish fella gets on and sits across from them, see's them joking about, strikes up a conversation with them.

He was friendly enough and they quickly seemed at ease after he asked em a few questions, wheres your mam (nannies downstairs) oh you have a nanny (so he clearly didnt know them), where have you been (Cinema), what film etc, then asking them about movies etc. Goes on for 5 or so minutes.

Anyways, while chatting, kid drops a big tub of popcorn on the floor, picks it up. Guy comments on a picture on the tub, kid doesnt understand, so guy reaches across to the kids seat and touches the picture he meant on the tub, while its on the kids lap.

I know there's no law against talking to kids, but once you start invading personal space like that, when you can easily just explain what you mean seemed really creepy to me.

So i asked him to leave them alone.

He said he wasn't doing anything wrong, he didnt touch them and that he is a teacher and has had all his checks done

Im a bloke btw

What do you think is acceptable and not in situations with unaccompanied children?

Are we too over protective of kids or is it right to be suspicious?

Personally i wouldnt chat to an unaccompanied child unless they needed help or spoke to me first, and even then i would keep my answers simple and if they continued Id gently advise them not to talk to strangers.

I would be keeping an eye but I wouldn't have said anything unless anything dodgier happened.

Yabvu.

God this world is depressing. A man can't even talk to a child now.

YABU, wasnt your place to tell hi to stop talking.
Some people are nice. Lets hope you havent put this poor old guy off being nice to strangers forever

It was the invading of personal space that i took issue with

Just because you wouldn't do it doesn't mean a man who does is a weird pervert. My DF was recently on the beach where he lives and a 6/7 yo fell in front of him, face planting in the sand. DF picked him up instinctively and looked around for his parents. He saw the DM and waved her over to be met with a wave of abuse for 'touching her child'. FFS woman - your child is crying and has sand in their eyes and mouth and berating the man who helped and called you over is your priority? Moronic.

This is entirely depressing. Not every man is a predator, you embarrassed that man and ther was no need whatsoever.

You have over-reacted.

It was the invading of personal space that i took issue with

He pointed at a picture on the popcorn tub, so he didn’t touch the child inappropriately or otherwise.

I think it’s a generational thing. My generation have been brought up to be wary of strangers and to think every other stranger is a paedophile waiting to strike and not to talk to them at any cost. Very different for my grandparents generation whose kids were sent outside from dawn to dusk and didn’t really think about the risks strangers might pose, I think older people are generally friendlier and keener to strike up conversation with others without considering they might be considered a risk or rude or a nuisance etc. Nothing you’ve said about this man makes it sound like he was doing or attempting to do anything nefarious.

He probably just wanted a chat, if he was an ex teacher he probably misses that. It’s really sad if an adult can’t talk to kids without being labelled a perve or paedo.

Your Blue Peter badge for saving the day is in the post.

Thanks for the honesty, I feel bad about my actions will learn from this.

Poor blokes probably at home now feeling utterly shit.

Yabvu and should have minded your own business. I'm all for advocating for children but this sounds like a complete non issue. 'Invading their person space' ffs, he wasn't touching them or groping them. Had it occurred to you that he might be lonely? Why did you immediately assume it was something sinister? We all have a duty to protect kids but this sounds like you throwing your weight around over nothing. Shame on you for how you probably made him feel.

Did ye, aye

He touched a pack of popcorn as a result of the conversation he was having. Ffs he didn't lift the kid onto his knee.

You totally over reacted. Sad that people see the worst in literally everyone these days.

Actually, I think you were right, and I'm certainly not of the paedo on every corner mindset. You got uncomfortable vibes off this man and stepped in to protect the children. Best case scenario was that it was innocent and he had his ego bruised slightly, no biggie, or he could have been dodgy and your intervention prevented something. I know which I'd choose.

Old?? Age matters does it?

A very strange reaction to a non event. Even stranger than you've posted about it and included that you are a man. Did you expect all us womenfolk to fawn over what a hero you are?

This.

Completely ridiculous overreaction.

It's a sad world we live in when every single adult is potentially viewed as a paedophile, especially complete strangers, when all the evidence suggests that if a child is being abused, it is highly likely to be happening within their own circle of family or friends.
Due to this hypervigilance, most adults are incredibly cautious of helping a child in distress and its been found that most strange adults are now reluctant to jump in and offer any assistance for fear of being labelled a paedophile.
It's ironic that in our quest to protect our children, we have succeeded in making our children fearful of all adults that they don't know, and as such, children are anxious of accepting help from strangers, even when they need help.
We have inadvertently placed our children in far greater danger.
Statistically, a child who is being abused is more likely to be able to trust a stranger than the adults in their own circle of family and family friends.

Thank god you were there, who knows what could have happened? Maybe he could have carried on chatting, or possibly even stolen a piece of popcorn. Not all heroes wear capes, some sit on buses sticking their noses into innocent interactions.

YAVU , poor man did absolutely nothing wrong

No, i genuinely wanted to know if id over reacted and if id posted on a blokes forum i was worried thw responses would be skewed by the very same suspisions that prompted me to act.

I thought posting here would get me a truer judgment of my actions.