Toddler loves watching diggers and building sites - AIBU to let him?

[Jean24601Valjean]

This may be a really stupid question but DS absolutely loves diggers etc. We can't go past a building site or other type of workmen activity without him asking to stop and watch. Sometimes I say no if we are in a rush but otherwise I often stop so he can watch for a bit. Sometimes it is clear that the workmen are happy with this e.g. if they wave or say hello to him. But other times it's not clear and I wonder if I'm being unreasonable. Like, what other jobs is it OK for a small child you don't know to sit and watch you do it? On the one hand I think it's nice because he obviously thinks what they are doing is the coolest thing ever but on the other hand I feel like it might come off as intrusive. Am I overthinking this or am I being unreasonable by stopping to watch? Of course I could ask to see if they mind but that's not always possible and if I'm honest I feel a bit silly doing so. I don't want to interrupt their work!

One of my favourite memories of my last fosterling was him shouting "Dan-dance!" at every passing ambulance. We were told he'd never walk or talk (but no-one informed him of this clearly as he did both) and one of his first words was "Twacta" shortly followed by "Dan-dance!".

Watching construction sites is par for the course for lots of preschoolers so don't worry about it.

I've done it too.
I've seen videos on social media where kids watch the bin men which is very similar.

My son was another one fascinated by building sites, diggers, police vehicles, fire engines, Eddie Stobart lorries.
We always had to stop when passing building sites, to have a look.
Nobody minded 😀

As long as he's not wondering around the building site I don't see the issue.

They're building new flats near me and there are high boards all around the site, but they've put viewing windows in at adult and toddler height. They are definitely ok with people stopping for a look at what's going on.

Not being unreasonable to watch but please make sure you do it safely.
A few months ago I saw a woman pull up to the only access point to a large construction site, just off a busy road with poor sight lines. She got a child out of the car seat and stood and watched in the entrance regardless of the fact that large articulated lorries regularly go in and out. I'm hoping the site manager told her to move for their own safety.
If she'd parked a few metres up the road and stood on the pathway it would have been entirely different.

Of course it’s fine, it’s not like you’re walking into the site. It’s in public!

It's fine! We parked DS's pushchair by the side of the busy A road we lived on and let him watch the cars go by in stop start traffic on the regular when he was a baby/toddler.

We lived by a farm lane and used to walk down it and look at the tractors. We ended up making friends with one of the farm guys who told us whenever they were moving the cows down the road (a spectacular sight for a little one).

And I always stop with DD to let her watch the bin men do a few bins after dropping DS off at school. She jumps up and down and claps her hands.

Lots of people love this and will wave to an excited baby/toddler. Those who don't are probably just busy. I don't think anyone would begrudge an excited little one learning about the world!

My son was beside himself the day the road painters arrived and refreshed the big SLOW on the road outside our house.

We went out and watched. The man started with the W and by the time he got to the S he made sure DS was watching.

My DD (and myself) have always loved construction sites and trackers in the farm.

I always feel how you do - am I making them uncomfortable by watching them? Lol

I can imagine watching someone stack shelves at Asda could be quite unnerving!

I do this construction workers and farmers are more used to it though.

I watch them but make sure not to stay too long, just in case they don’t like it.

Hopefully some people working in those areas will comment as I’d love to know myself!

Not unreasonable at all. Toddlers are their biggest fan base!

Dd and friends still get a kick from waving to a train driver as they pull into the station. Bus drivers are a mixed bag (they have to interact with the public a lot more I imagine)

I’d like to know if you can watch if you are an adult or teen.

I think it’s somehow more acceptable with a young child but I do love watching them.

There is a factory near my place and whenever I walk past with dcs we stop and watch the forklifts work for a while.

I'm sure builders etc are quite used to it and don't mind, they are in public after all.

Generally nobody minds, everyone knows sites with big machines are a magnet for small children.

Just reinforce the message never to go onto a site, they are very dangerous places. Even at primary school stage children are attracted to sites.

OP I understand your question! My youngest was the same and I always used to feel a bit bad standing there staring at people at work.

When DS was a toddler he was such a regular fixture at the building site of his future school that one of the forklift drivers came over and gave DS a toy model of the forklift he (builder obvs not DS) drove.
We had a well-worn copy of Usborne Trucks and Diggers, and DS knew all the names of various makes, models and attachments of construction vehicles by the time he started at the school.
I liked it as he'd stand/sit still watching a building site for hours so it gave me a chance to sit and read a book for a while. I used to bring lunch and a flask of tea.

OMG.

Vehicle-obsessed DS will love this.

That's our half term day trip sorted.

From the mother of another digger-obsessed toddler, crack on OP. My DS also loves seeing the bin men every week and we always stop so he can watch them. Generally they are really kind and beep/wave to DS which he thinks is the best thing ever!

Not at all! I do this myself, but I’m an engineer 😂

It's fine. We spent years watching diggers and tractors. DS is 16 now and I still point them out.

Haha ok there seems to be quite a consensus! I guess I should have said that where we live it's not so much the large building sites as lots of small groups of men working on roads and pavements, without much barrier between them and the public (it's not in the UK) so it does sometimes feel like literally peering over their shoulder 😂... I suppose id just feel a bit funny if it was me.

Obviously we stand in a safe place and do not obstruct.

Thanks for all the book suggestions! We have sooooo many digger books 😂 and diggerland is definitely on the bucket list!

@RichardArmitagesWife My DS was the same. I was SAHM at the time and bin collection day became part of our routine. We literally followed them around the park. They were so nice to him always. I also remember the day a neighbour got their skip collected, childhood highlight😁. We also have stopped policemen for a chat and one let him try on their hat. Best moment was probably when the fire engine stopped outside our front door, some idiot set fire to a mattress in the woods opposite. The firefighters asked DS if he would like to come into the engine while they were waiting on their colleagues. Amazing!! Builders, painters, basically workmen of any type were stared at and all responded really well, at worst we were ignored but often they were really kind and chatted about their work.

Even better, my toddler used to chat to the workmen and invite them over to our house!

@toadasoda - I had to make smarties cookies for the bin men “because you always make smarties cookies for my friends when I ask you to, and they are my friends!”

See also the bus drivers and the duty manager at the train station.

I swear we knew every person working in construction, transport and waste disposal in a 5 mile radius.