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The interaction between children and adults in our culture is weird nowadays. I was at the zoo with my girlfriend in the reptile section. A little boy was star
by jacoblyles 16y ago
The interaction between children and adults in our culture is weird nowadays.
I was at the zoo with my girlfriend in the reptile section. A little boy was staring into the same tank that we were, his mom was maybe ten feet away. You know how reptiles are, they are always hiding behind some rock or branch or just blending in nefariously. So I ask the boy, "Do you see the snake?" It felt awkward to ignore another human being crowding around the glass with us and I figured I would give him a chance to feel good by showing off his superior reptile-spotting ability.
He seemed shocked that an adult he didn't know would talk to him. There's something weird about that being weird.
- Splines 16y agoProbably a U.S. cultural thing. I find it weird talking to other parents' kids too (I'm a father of two), as you don't know how the other parents will handle it. I'd like to think there are places in this world that aren't so paranoid.
- akadruid 16y agoIt's not just a U.S. thing. I'm a UK father of 3 small boys, and it's a given over here that you should be very wary of interation with any child unless you have some kind of relationship with their parent. It's somewhat relaxed where parents feel more comfortable; a zoo might qualify for that.
- ErrantX 16y agoIt's terrible isn't it. Because in the past you could have been a reptile enthusiast, and he might have been interested and maybe you could have taught him something. Now everyone just looks at you weird.