To find some children very intimidating

[paintityellow]

My uncle was walking in his usual park a few days ago. A boy pointed at him and said 'there's a bad man'. My uncle stopped, absolutely shocked. The mum said 'oh we're teaching him to be careful around strange men' and just laughed it off. My uncle is now refusing to walk in the park, even though it is the only place close enough for him to have a daily walk,

A few weeks ago I went out for a walk around my estate. A child walking in front of me darted behind a car, I walked past, she started walking on the opposite side of the road giving me anxious looks, again I walked past her and then saw her peering at me over a wall before running off when she saw me looking at her. It was intimidating and uncomfortable and I just turned around and went home.

I have also had a friend who recently heard loud noise outside her window, leant forward from where she was watching TV and saw some kids roller blading. One child shrieked 'someone's watching us' and they all skated away at high speed and she felt like the wicked witch of the west.

AIBU to think that some kids are being brought up to be so scared of any unknown adults that they're actually becoming intimidating and bullying adults they don't know away from public spaces and normal activities?

Kids are weird

Some parents are even weirder

Ignore weird people and get on with your day

They're children, they're playing, that's all.

A group of children skating away shrieking is just a mix of make-believe, silliness and group fun.

A child peering at you from behind a car is probably just a game, she's pretending to be a spy or a detective, or using you in her game because she is on her own.

Don't you remember being a child? They don't behave like adults, nor should you expect them to. Just let them get on with having fun. They'll be back in school in a week.

I thought this was going to be about teens being shits, like the delight who used to throw eggs at our house and write words like whore, pedo and suck my tits on my car. Thankfully they moved to another part of town, then mysteriously plagued by egg throwing according to Facebook.

Kids have to make sense of a lot of conflicting social information and they literally don't think like adults because their brains are not fully formed and they do odd things.

Coral.

just want me and other adults to be able to act normally without being made to feel uncomfortable by over anxious children.

Never once felt or will ever feel uncomfortable by over anxious children, just ignore them and get on with my day.

Zero shits given about them.

You're intimidated by a little girl who was scared of you?

She was probably being Harriet the Spy. I used to do that! Kids live in a world of make believe and silliness. They pretend grownups are witches or ogres. It's fun.

Sometimes I feel so many posters on MN have never been kids.

Your uncle is being daft and the other children sound like they’re playing a game. All 3 examples I would have just laughed. You (and the adults you refer to) sound a bit uptight and joyless!

Weird post thought it was gonna be about antisocial behaviour🙄

Your uncle really needs to get a grip. One kid makes one comment and he’s now refusing to walk in the park.

Just don’t chose to feel uncomfortable then. Sounds like you might have been one of those over anxious children.

Have you seen the recent stories of children being snatched in broad daylight?

You and your uncle need a grip.

It isn't the children, it's the parents.
Before warning kids about stranger danger (there's a good reason organisations and the authorities have tried to put a stop to the use of the expression, and the idea it perpetuates) they'd do well to look up the actual statistics on child abuse, abduction etc.

Overwhelmingly a male known to the child, usually an older (but not old) relative. Most sexual abuse of children comes from a male known to the family and under the age of 35. That's the message that needs to be received and understood rather than warning children to be afraid of men they don't know.

It is statistically 90% more likely that the men they should be afraid of are the ones they trust. Their brothers. Their dads. Their brother's friends.

Have there been lots? Of strangers snatching children?
Really?

In fairness, we've had a thread this week with a child accusing the grandfather falsely of punching him (and everyone saying it's the grandfather's fault) a thread where an OP is going to report an older man at the swimming pool because he goes at the same time as the lessons etc so you can kind of understand why some people are wary of being accused of something they haven't done.

And you wonder why we can't get male teachers ..

In general no, I think the first and last kids in your examples were just going about their business and didn’t articulate it the best. It’s fine, they’re kids.

The girl peering at you over walls was a bit weird. I wouldn’t call it intimidating, but a bit creepy maybe.

Just ignore it as best you can, encourage your uncle to get back to the park if he enjoys his walks.

This. Not intimidating but I wouldn't be happy if I were your uncle. The mother's phrasing wasn't great either. The man was just minding his business.

You and your uncle need to get out more.

The mum said 'oh we're teaching him to be careful around strange men' and just laughed it off.

If it upset your uncle so much, he should have come back with "that's admirable, but you're doing a pretty bad job."