Not interested in arguing with you very PC types, just saying......

[cosima]

I went to a school fete today, there were two men there that I felt could have been paedophiles. NOW, of course this thread could go in to a laborious discussion about How did I know? / How could I be so judgemental? How dare I? What a terrible world when people are so narrow minded! etc etc, but actually the only action I am taking is to say to a mums website

Please remember that school fetes are open to the public, parents feel very safe in the environment, Paedophiles go to school fetes on saturday afternoons, and PLEASE KEEP YOUR CHILDREN SAFE AND IN VIEW.

Well, I agree that paedophiles are out there, everywhere.
They look like the nice elderly man who lives down the street and your dh's mate who's a good bloke, and your uncle who is married with 3 kids - they are normal people in every other respect and you don't know what they look like. And they go to places where children are, places like fetes.

Of course you can't lock your kids up and protect them forever, but I'd rather judge and assume to try and protect them than to try and be fair to every strange person that I see and maybe put them into harms way.

If you want to walk down a dark alley and give that man with the balaclava on carrying a knife and a rope the benefit of the doubt, then go ahead, the decision you make to not judge will only have repercussions for yourself. But don't do it for your kids.

PMSL at Blu 'where they running a stall'

Priceless.

LMAO @ Ivegotaheadache.

We are right back to torching Paediatricians.... again.

pagwatch - what?

So how do you know that paedophiles go to school fetes on saturday afternoons? Do they all do that? A group outing sorta thing? What do they do on Sundays? When do they get up? Are you sharing all your insights with the local constabulary?

Were your last two lines not meant to be hilarious

.

Just read whole thread - woefully late again - lol at 3 feels for 20p

I thought it was genuis. Equating not inspecting every 'unaccompanied' male with giving knife weilding rapists the benfit ofthe doubt...

Not really, I was making the point that fine, do what ever you want and don't judge anyone and give everyone the benefit of the doubt (what, just for the sake of not being judgemental?) when the repercussions are on you alone.

Don't be so liberal minded when it may put someone else in harms way.

I don't find that hilarious, funnily enough.

This is the sort of thread that makes me glad that DH never goes anywhere where there are small children (including his own) unless he has the sports section of the Grauniad to hide behind.

I still find you hilarious I'm afraid.

You think everyone should protect their child but having some sort of weirdshitometer. Screw the fact that everyone who is remotely odd then becomes the object of suspicion.

You then present some totally ridiculous hollywoodesque scenario to equate to anyone who does not agree with your ridiculous notions.

Yes . i think you are pretty funny.

But please do tell me some more how serious abuse is. I really didn't realise.

That's a ridiculous comment.

I would be a bit suspicious of a lone man wandering around on his own at a family fete type of thing.
Yes, of course there are men who enjoy fetes and they either live on their own or their wife adn kids were busy, but most (if not all) men I know hate to go to things like that even as a family let alone on their own.

So I would keep a closer eye on my dc's, rather than let them run off to different stalls on their own.

Two men were arrested (last year I think) on a very busy beach which is teeming with children. People had called the police with suspicions of them and in their bag the police found rope and an aneasthetic (or whatever it's called) that you sniff.

I bet the people on that beach were so so glad that people were suspicious of a couple of lone men sitting on a beach.

I really don't know what on earth you're talking about.

You miss my point totally.

But just you carry on because I know I'd much rather err on the side of caution and quite frankly if I saw someone who I thought was a bit odd, I woudl be suspicious for all manner of reasons, and I'd keep a closer eye on my children.

I find it strange that you wouldn't do the same for your dc's.

And just to clarify, I'm not some hysterical over protective mother who doesn't let her kids out of her sight, my dc's are on schol holidays now and at the moment they are running up and down the street with the neighbours kids, playing very happily.

Ah . Mine is ridiculous. And your 'walking down a dark alley and giving knife weilding rapists the benefit of the doubt' was measured ...

There was an inquest in the paper about two weeks ago. Small little girl wandered off and was killed. Hit by a car I believe.
A passing taxi driver reported to the inquest that he saw her by the road but did not dare approach a young girl as a male on his own. Had he stopped she would still be alive.

Of course we should be careful. But we should be reasonable too.

Well perhaps my problem with this is that my son is 'a bit odd'.

My main worry is thatI think Maxine Carr could be at our school fete, disguised as a lollipop lady, or running the cake stall...what should do?

The ridiculous comment was about sixspotburnet's post.
The one underneath was for you

God
its not like me to crash someone elses arguement
.

Blu
do the cakes in question have any artifical colours or flavourings

Why is mine ridiculous? If there are going to be mothers at the DSs' school fete tomorrow looking at everyone through narrowed eyes, then I'd rather that DH was perceived as the idle good-for-nothing that he really is, and not as a possible paedophile.

Blu - tough one. Take your pitchfork with you, whatever you do.

At DS1's recent sports day there was a very odd looking adult hanging about under a tree, watching the boys intently but making no effort to talk to any of the parents or the teachers.

nur nur na nur nur!

Six spot's ridiculous!

I am merely a reckless and inadequate mother

I never actually said anything about odd people, you did first.
But I'm not here to insult you or your family!

Most paedophiles don't look 'odd', they are perfectly respectable, I'm just saying that i would be more cautious if I saw lone men wandering around somewhere that was a predominately family event.

I wouldn't think the same if I saw a lone man in tesco, I do have some rational thought!

And I don't see anything wrong with those feelings. Why would anyone take exception with me wanting to keep my children as safe as I can, as I do in all other areas aswell, not only on the stranger front.
And like I said I'm not overly hysterical, and I don't for minute think I'm alone with those feelings.

pagwatch

seriously, though - I do know where pagwatch is coming from - I worry the same way about my DS and how he will be perceived when he is an adult