>The other side of the argument now is the fear of interacting with somebody elses child as and adult, last year I came across a small girl(5/6) who had fallen and grazed her leg and there was nobody else around, I was really deliberate about not touching her in case parent or guardian came around the corner. I felt horrible about it but thats the way things are I guess.
I know the feeling. I was walking my son home from school in downtown Boston and we approached a street corner where two young girls (looked like Grades K and 3) were sitting on the ground. I did go through the mental process of asking myself it was OK to talk to them because my son was with me and then (most importantly) thinking about what I'd want a friendly stranger to do if it was my kid there.
As it turns out, they were dropped off by their school bus, but there was a miscommunication between mom and dad about who was to handle pickup. Fortunately the older one knew dad's phone number. He ignored my call, but immediately called when I followed up with a text to explain the situation.
You do have to be very careful, though. As a coach of youth sports, a common task for the very young kids is to help them tie things. I'll do shoes, but mom or dad have to help with your shorts.
I know the feeling. I was walking my son home from school in downtown Boston and we approached a street corner where two young girls (looked like Grades K and 3) were sitting on the ground. I did go through the mental process of asking myself it was OK to talk to them because my son was with me and then (most importantly) thinking about what I'd want a friendly stranger to do if it was my kid there.
As it turns out, they were dropped off by their school bus, but there was a miscommunication between mom and dad about who was to handle pickup. Fortunately the older one knew dad's phone number. He ignored my call, but immediately called when I followed up with a text to explain the situation.
You do have to be very careful, though. As a coach of youth sports, a common task for the very young kids is to help them tie things. I'll do shoes, but mom or dad have to help with your shorts.