“Nobody Wants Your Kid!”

[trandraskell]

I have a friend who has a baby near my age and this happened to them today and I’m posting this story with permission as she is also curious about the general consensus.

Today my friend (We’ll call her J) was running some errands and while she was at the eye doctor another customer kept asking to hold her 6.5 month old. K felt uncomfortable but hates confrontation so she let the woman hold him for a second, he started fussing so J took him back.

For the next 5 minutes this woman kept trying to interact with J’s son, she thought it was harmless but admits she was feeling a little thrown off by this woman’s attention to her kid.

When the doctor called her in the woman offered to watch her son for her. J declined and then the woman seemingly offended said something to the effect of “Omg I’m not going to steal him, nobody wants your kid! I’m just being nice!”

I understand the concept of the village isn’t what it used to be but my personal opinion is J was right to be weirded out. I’m sure that there’s always some paranoia around kidnapping but surely it’s better safe than sorry right? Would you all let a stranger watch your baby?

 

[valshantal]

@trandraskell There’s a village and then there’s the weird lady who doesn’t live in the village who tries to make it look like she does, but really she lives in the gingerbread house. I don’t think this is a case of not using a village or alienating people who want to help.

 

[hawk21]

@valshantal Yeah I think a village is generally people you know.

 

[adacres]

@valshantal Very well put! This lady is the random stray hanging outside of the village.

 

[loreina11]

@trandraskell Ones village does not include strangers at the doctor’s office.

 

[debus]

@trandraskell I wouldn’t let a stranger hold my baby, let alone watch him. Period. I don’t care.

 

[debus]

J is going to have to learn how to be uncomfortable and confront confrontation for her child because who else is going to advocate for him if not his own parents.

Because J hates confrontation, what if that lady wanted to kidnap him or kiss all over his face or walk off with him? Was she going to not confront that?

I’m saying that because I hated confrontation too before I had my baby, now I speak up. I’m watching him like a Hawk when he’s with anybody: doctor, in-laws, my parents, who TF ever. I don’t play about my baby and I will curse you out or beat your ass if it comes to it. We can call the police after.

 

[by_christ]

@trandraskell Laughing cuz when my song was born we took him to the beach, but he was quite covered up since he was only 4 weeks. A lady asked if she could see our baby and my husband looked at her and said "no thank you."

I remember being like "damnnnn you're harsh!" And he was like "what if she was a witch or something, trust no one"

But yeah, definitely would've said no and been super weirded out..

 

[orthodoxcrusader]

@by_christ No thank you! Love that response

 

[montyfish]

@by_christ I love that! I’m gonna use it. I hate when people come close to my baby and make comments like “oh look at the baby!” Like no… go away idk what you have lol

 

[thestvn]

@by_christ That’s a good response lol. People are so weird about babies. I was walking my son down the street in his stroller and a woman stopped her car, got out and asked to look in his bassinet because she loves babies. I had no clue what to say so I just was like “Uh, OK,” but kept walking lol.

 

[blacksheep78]

@trandraskell Once I was at Costco and struggling to get the baby wrap on so I could wear my daughter. An old 70+ yo lady asked if I needed help and offered to hold my child for just a moment.

I accepted the offer.

As soon as I was done prepping the wrap, she handed my daughter back. The cheerfully exclaimed that this was the first time she had gotten to hold a baby since her own children, and that then they had moved away and gotten successful jobs and she was too anxiety ridden for travel so she never got to see her grandbabies or great grandbabies when they were little little.

The lady was very polite and very thankful, and I don't regret it for a moment.

 

[davetaff]

@blacksheep78 What a wonderful story!! I’m so glad you felt comfortable doing that and she was so kind to you - it sounds like you made her day and she made yours a little easier.

 

[katrina2017]

@trandraskell I watched a stranger's baby once at university. The mother was in a tutorial class with glass walls and I was in the special languages library opposite it which also had glass walls. The mother could see me, and I could see her the whole time. I offered because the baby was asleep in her pushchair in the library.

Had the mother said no, my response would have been to smile and hold the door for her while she wheeled the pushchair through. At no point would I have yelled an insulting reassurance at her.

She may not have any intention to steal a baby, but she doesn't sound like a safe person to leave a child with. Your friend doesn't need a reason to turn down offers of help, but that woman sure gave her one.

 

[davetaff]

@katrina2017 I had the exact same reaction to the story as you. Offer help if you want to, respect the parent’s wishes if they say no. That’s common decency.

 

[beatuscredo]

@trandraskell It is called a village for a reason. Not town, city or country. A village knows one another quite well.

 

[jesterdeal]

@beatuscredo Haha love this

 

[beatuscredo]

@jesterdeal I have to add that even with the above mentioned said by me. I would loved it if we lived in a world were we knew it was more likely that someone is a friend than a foe. And that someone will step up and step in when someone is in trouble. But that is not the world we live in.

 

[jesterdeal]

@beatuscredo Even if we did live in Utopia, i still wouldn’t trust a stranger with my baby. I don’t even like my mother in law watching my kids lol

 

[anh0639]

@trandraskell Who the fuck would LEAVE THEIR BABY WITH A STRANGER!?

Even countries where the babies sleep outside unattended would be what the fucking over this!!