OMG, that is NOT okay. I remember one woman at Kinko’s who was “just getting over the flu” went to touch Tinkleberry when he was around 10 days old, because he “was the tiniest baby she’d ever seen!” He was in his car seat on the floor, and I stepped in between her and the baby, and squatted down so that she had two choices- step back or get a knee to the face.
Now that he’s 7 months, it happens a lot less, but the feral girl-children that live in this complex still try to molest him every time they see him.
Another GREAT wrap/carrier is the ultimate baby wrap, which was the only one that ever felt comfortable for me. Plus, you can carry the kid 4 ways in it! Love love love it.
That’s exactly it. I think it’s sad that someone SHOULD keep that in mind, that you don’t want to be seen touching peoples’ kids, but let’s face it: there are some seriously warped nutjobs out there who would probably scream if someone even breathed in the direction of their kids. And since we’re raising our kids with the message that their bodies are THEIR bodies, and that no one can touch them without permission, well, best to start right away. I’m not saying Baby will remember, but maybe his or her old siblings will be there.
monstro. I like you, and you’re usually pretty canny. Don’t ever ask me again to stop defending my beliefs, experiences, opinions or observations simply because you find them upsetting. I should be able to clarify my assertions. Please.
This is not an attack on all young black women. It is a glib judgmental comment on young black women who have unprotected sex and have unplanned pregnancies. Some people other than me seem unable to appreciate the difference.
**Belowjob2.0. ** Thaaaaaaaank you. Everyone knows I simply can’t be bothered to look up facts myself, I just throw this shit out there.
WhyNot, I am so sorry to have hijacked your thread. Tell us how the next walk in the park goes.
I’m a sucker for kiddie toes, too. I guess I’ll need to put that on the list of Things to Not Do Anymore[sup]TM[/sup].
Seriously, we toe ticklers mean no harm. I’m not a kidnapper or a perv. Babies bring people together that would never interact with each other without the baby. It’s a good thing.
I guess I understand your reaction and don’t take issue with it. You’re the mom and you get to draw the line for your baby.
Sorry, WhyNot, I wasn’t referring to you as a germophobe. Heck, you have a reason to keep your baby away from germs. I was talking about the one’s who are utterly paranoid for no good reason, i.e. compulsively washing their kids, etc.
You should be man enough to see the carelessness of a stupid remark, which yours was, and then shut up about it.
I like you too, but that doesn’t mean your comment didn’t piss me off. And it pisses me off that you don’t see why what you said is hurtful, rather than just “glib” and “judgemental”.
monstro. You said you’re done talking, so you’re not required to respond. BUT:
a) Dearheart, I am a man.
b) People mistake my empathy for approval/understanding all the time. I can be glib and judgmental, which sometimes leads to hurt feelings.
c) My desire to be understood compels me to explain myself before I drop things. It’s the way I’m wired. I can’t always help people are going to be pissed with me, but I’d rather people at least know why.
d) I nurture my pride like a bumper crop of marijuana. Also, I can be thick. It’s always more constructive to tell me WHY my comments are “hurtful” “stupid” “careless” “factually wrong” and “TOTALLY out of line.” I might not give two shits, or I might be moved agree I was wrong.
e) Ordering me to shut up almost guarantees I won’t.
Nah, you didn’t jihack it. It was hijacked by people who want to focus on what you said instead of what you meant.
Incidentally, and this doesn’t make what you said in “righter” in the broad sense, in the small sense, you were right about 80%. Most of the women who were touching her were very young and black, with babies of their own. By very young, I mean a couple of them hadn’t reached their full adult height yet. :dubious:
So, in this particular case, you happened to read what I didn’t write and accurately assessed the situation. That doesn’t mean you couldn’t have been wrong with your broad generalization (or generalization about broads), it means you were lucky.
But I knew what you meant, and mentally inserted a “some” in your post, so it took me a while to figure out what the hijackers were going on about, anyway!
I love the way that one looks, too. Seriously, my friends’ kids always look so happy in their wraps - I have a feeling our first kid is going to be all snuggly in one 70% of the time as a newborn. I’m very surprised my SIL and brother aren’t interested.
Sounds like a terrorist with a religiousity complex…