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!

Lovely that he's interested, OP, and with thanks to Bill Bryson I'll quote an appropriate tale:

In the 1950s, a friend of moved with her young family into a house next door to a vacant lot. One day some builders arrived to put up a house on the lot. The friend had a three-year-old daughter who naturally took an interest in all the activity going on next door. She hung around on the margins and eventually the builders adopted her as a kind of mascot. They chatted to her and gave her little jobs to do and at the end of the week presented her with a little pay packet containing a shiny new half crown, or something.
She took this home to her mother who made all the appropriate cooings of admiration and suggested that they went to the bank the next morning to deposit it in her account. When they went to the bank, the cashier was equally impressed and asked the little girl how she had come by her own pay packet.
“I’ve been building a house this week,” she replied proudly.
“Goodness!” said the cashier. “And will you be building a house next week, too?”
“I will if we ever get the fucking bricks,” answered the little girl

I've never, ever met or seen a man on a building site that's bothered by little kids glued to the action.

Way overthinking, they will be used to it. But if it bothers you so buy him some of the clips of diggers working.

There was lots of building work were I live just as lockdown ended, but before soft play etc had fully opened up. Going around the sites (on the outside) was often an afternoon out with my toddler GC. Card factory do a birthday card with diggers on, she was made up. There's also a kinetic sand kit with diggers. She loved the bin men as well. It breaks up what can be a long day.

Of course not! Enjoy! Sometimes the highlight of our day was when the street sweeper came down the street!

I can't count how many times I've done this with my son. Once we were stood watching for a good 20 minutes!

I miss those days!! My son loved diggers. Can I add ‘Diggersaurs’ (book) and ‘Dancing diggers’ (YouTube) and ‘Builder Ted’ (YouTube) to the list!

Aww that’s cute, my wee boy is the same, there’s a last time for everything though and you’ll miss that, I used to take my wee boy out to see the bin men but he doesn’t bother about it now, you’ve just reminded me that we don’t do that anymore 🥹 little boys are just great.

My son loved everything building and engineering related as a toddler. We once spent a memorable hour sitting on the grass watching a road being resurfaced when he was less than 2 years old.

He still loves machinery now, build his own electronics age 7 and is determined to work for NASA when he gets older. Encourage every interest if you can. You never know where it might lead.

I don't think most wouldn't it an issue, I'd probably only stop for a couple of mins though and then move on.

I'm in NZ and a whole generation have grown up watching diggers and other big machinery due to the rebuilding of the city. One time a digger was getting stuff out of the local pond and he let my friends son have a ride in it. Not much you can do for free. Watching diggers is fun.

Massively overthinking it. Why would a builder not want you to stand and watch them with a toddler?! I don't get it.

Lots of boys love diggers and building sites and builders know it. Many of them will have little boys who love it too. I don't see an issue.

My DSs (4 and 2) are so into construction vehicles and building sites that I built a sandpit with them in the garden - well, they were kind of helpful! 😂

Now 'we' make short videos of all their diggers, dumpers, ulldozers etc working in the sandpit and have just started a youtube channel devoted to it. It has been great fun making the sort of videos that our boys love to watch. Your DS might enjoy it https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxDVHvb_4FuzYYLlmvUEchQ

Oh dear... that made me spit out my tea! Thank you.

Of course you’re not BU.

My ds’s loved their Tonka trucks when they were that age - does he have any? That and a sandpit in the warmer weather kept them busy for hours, they had fake plastic rubble for indoors!
One particular favourite was a garbage truck with a mini wheelie bin that emptied into the truck with the touch of a button!

It's fine and very cute

Mine used to love this. We even went to Diggerland once.

My youngest watches every truck and van. He loves being on holiday so he can actually see the bins being emptied. He sits on the wall and they talk to him and he goes and waits by the gate to collect the bin. I haven’t got a problem with it. In the summer he waits outside with freezie pops for them - it’s been going on for years and I like it.

My eldest is 17 and was asked when about 10 what car they wanted when older and some people showed them pictures of cars and nope they knew what they wanted and that wasn’t it. When our driving one day they exclaimed loudly ‘that’s it mummy, that’s the car I want if I win the lottery’ - it was an air conditioned van 😂😂when I asked why they wanted that one - it was to fit all their dogs that they were getting when they were older in the back of after a long walk 😂😂made perfect sense then. And no it hasn’t changed they still want lots of dogs and a huge van. Yes encourage them if they like diggers. My youngest likes to draw them, write poems - think of adjectives etc

Take them on a steam train as well.

You should take him to Italy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umarell

Lovely ! Bit worried about your workforce though, shouldn’t they be wearing high viz and hard hats?