You see a lost child in a shop. What would you do?

Cold War Kid wrote: »

"Society"? Aren't you part of society? Aren't men who are depicted in this unfair way part of society?
Is it misandrists who have created this demonisation of men when it comes to children? I thought it was people who are obsessed with paedophiles.

Honestly? I don't feel much a part of this society any more. There's times when I feel like a second-class citizen due to my gender and others when my own beliefs are so at odds with what the majority are happy to go along with that I just shake my head and try to get on with my own life. I've neither the money, the power nor the connections to make a difference to political life in Ireland and I'd pretty certain I'd be unelectable even if I had those!

It's misandrists who instigate policies about children not being allowed to be seated beside single men on aeroplanes, who hand female abusers far more lenient sentences than their male equivalents, who seem to refrain from using the word "pedophile" when it's a "love-starved" young teacher abusing a student etc.

I don't get the "either/or" stuff on this thread - I'd just go over to the child and bring them to the customer service desk, because I'm a woman and lucky enough not to have to deal with the stigma men face. But I don't see why a man wouldn't stay in the child's vicinity and alert a staff member or female customer. It's only a supermarket.

I'd probably look for a staff member alright but I'd refuse to play to the notion that a female shopper is more qualified/suitable to help the child than I or another male shopper.

True that, I think it's bad that there's a mistrust because of gender. TBH I'd be as worried about a female abductor as male - you hear all the stories in the news of late about women abducting babies, even going as far as tricking women and cutting babies out of their belly! The mass majority of male shoppers in a supermarket are normal as you'd think:rolleyes:, and from what I've noticed increasingly doty with them. I have some great guys help calm down my little girls shop melt downs lately!
Roughly 2 years ago, I was pregnant with my son and my daughter was toddling, me and my mam came across a lost toddler (too young to talk) about the same age as my daughter at the time, who was upset. My Mam picked her up and I was even a bit - em, are you allowed pick them up? My mam was like, ah don't be silly shes upset I'll just bring her to the desk. You used to go missing ALL the time. We were met at the desk by the stressed out parents, and the desk girl was even looking at her like, you're holding their child?! they at first were a bit funny and then happy to have her back.
I don't know if it's a society thing about contact now (most likely), or how we happen to look?

moc moc a moc wrote: »

He's in Dunnes, not feckin' Baltimore. Go find a staff member.

+1

Unless the kid is lost in Ireland's largest lingerie section (I understand) it won't take the parent too long to find them. By the time you intervene the parent will happen upon you and as others have said thats cool if you are a woman but if you are a man it will be frowned upon.

John_D80 wrote: »

What would you do in this situation??

Find a gay couple to adopt him/her

Happened to me before in a hospital, it was a few years after the James Bulger case and I was 19 at the time. The child of about 3 looked like he was just wandering the corridors on his own and I could see the stressful realisation was kicking in. I just picked him up and was going to bring him to reception when back around the corner came the mother, and the look she gave me... I knew how bad it looked then alright. She took the child and went on her way.

I'd do the same again tbh, wouldn't give a fcuk, a lost child is a lost child. Definitely a bit of an over-reaction OP with the Gardaí being called and the whole lot, but even if I knew that could happen, it's still a lot easier on my conscience than the alternative. Fair play to your friend OP, I wouldn't give a fcuk what "society" thinks in that case either. It's not society thinks anything of men with children at all, and any man that thinks that way is down to his own insecurity about himself.

"Oooh, I'm afraid of people thinking I'm a paedophile"

What a bunch of cowards. That's buying into the problem.

I drive a white van so I'm steering clear.

Attempted child abduction by man in white van in clothing dept.

Ireland has the worst white van man kidnappers, they never succeed.

Would stay clear myself. Society gets a bit hung up on men on their own being around kids, even their own ones.

Problem with keeping an eye on child in OP is that "Man lurking in Dunnes watching lost child" spreads.

I used to work in retail and I swear if I had ever wanted to steal children, I could have had about 100 of them within a year.

Parents just leave them to wander off a lot of the time.

I know it's different because I was an employee of the shop but I would walk up to the kid and ask REALLY loudly where it's mammy was. I would then stand there with it, looking around 'frantically'. Then when the parent finally copped on, I would say in a really over exaggerated way : Ohmygod, I thought he/she was lost!'

So my advice to any men/people who want to help a lost child. Don't touch it but just stand there and make it known you are looking for the parent. Even say: 'Lost child, there's a lost child here'.

I'm a women and I would never touch a child that I don't know.

Reminds me of a random Saturday about a year ago when myself and herself were enjoying a sunny stroll around the big park beside the house. Over in the far corner is a kids soccer match, age 10ish at a guess, 7 a side, small pitch, about 40 spectators. Anyway, from a brief passing glimpse I could see the standard was actually quite good, one kid was nutmegging lads for fun. I take a slight diversion from our walk to stop and watch the game properly.

MrsTeal straight away was at me, "what are you doing?". "Eh, watching the match. . ." I respond with a confused tone. "You can't be watching little kids, people will think you're some kind of weirdo". I was taken aback, a bit astonished and then got a bit thick with her, "don't be ridiculous". She wasn't budging and my stubbornness never really leads to good things so we were fairly quickly walking again. I again tried to air my feelings that society was properly messed up if a bloke can't stop to watch a match in a public park but she was having none of it, better to not be in a position to be accused. How messed up is that???

Anyway, in the OPs case, i'd probably approach the child saying stuff like, "where's mammy?", "are you looking for mammy?", in a high pitched voice so as to be heard a bit further away and then proceed to stand on the spot with child repeating my questions (I might throw in a "is anybody missing a child?" shout or two) while looking around for a panicked parent. Any accusations aimed at me would be met with a quick retort to "cop on!".

Stheno wrote: »

I'd ignore them nothing to do with me
and I've no interest dealing with hysterical parents accusing me of all sorts
and tbh if they lost their child they are craps parents

Lol! Pretty much every child in the country loses their parents at some point. Does that make them crap parents?