Kissing a child

[beejaybee]

On the news there was a report of a vicar giving a child a cogratulatory kiss on the cheek. This was done in front of parents, pupils & teachers. However, the police became involved, but nothing was done. The vicar was asked to stand down as school governer & not to come near the school. Is n`t this taking things too far.

[doglady]

On one hand, oh for goodness sake, that's ridiculous. On the other hand, shouldn't he realise that you can't go around kissing kids you don't know any more.

[Supernick]

Precisely. Hence why it's news.
You only print a story like that if everyone disagrees.

[jake-the-peg]

Hmm

How many of your maths teachers used to kiss you when you gave the right answer?

[Ethel]

But times are changing. When I was a child and young adult NOBODY kissed each other on the cheek, let alone on first meeting.

That was a strange continental way.

Nowadays everyone is kissing and hugging everyone.

[Oneeyedvic]

He was not asked to step down - he elected to step down.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshi re/5176802.stm

Persoanlly, I totally blame the media who now make people suspicious of everybody else. The whole paedophilia debate is just ludicrous and we are already in a situation where there are not enough male teachers in primary schools due to perceptions.

There was also a story a few weeks ago about a child laying in the street after being involved in a hit & run accident and everal cars just going past and not stopping - hardly suprising when if they tried to touch her tosee if she was okay, they would be viewed with suspicion.

Welcome to a media controlled world.

[Supernick]

Admittedly Jake, none. But whilst I would say that it's an inadvisable thing to do in this day and age, the reaction is over the top.

[noxlumos]

If my child falls over and cuts it's knee and an adult cuddles it to comfort it I welcome that. I may well be in a minority here but the whole "everyone is a potential paedophile" thing has galloped madly out of control and we have to stop it before it erodes the caring society we used to be.Most people are NOT paedophiles, there are no more of them now than there ever were and if you use your common sense then your child will be as safe as it can be. In no way did this man do anything wrong so why can people not just stand up and say so?

[WoWo]

In response to noxlumos, it's at the stage now that I would not help a child these days for fear of being accused a paedophile.

[Supernick]

I remember riding my bike around where I was living, and must have been about 10 years old, a good 15 years ago. I fell off and scraped my legs and gashed my knees etc. A lady came out of her house and took me inside to bathe the wounds and put plasters on etc.
Was my mum pleased? Was she heck. She went ballistic.
It' madness. There's protecting your children, and there's living in fear,dread and suspicion, and we're beginning to stray into the latter's territory.

[Drusilla1S]

I think this is typical of the sexual paranoia of the British.

My ex husband is French and his parents now live in Italy. I regularly visit both France and Italy with my two young daughters and total strangers often stroke their long, titian hair and kiss their cheeks because the cultural tradition of these people is to adore children, particularly, smily happy ones.

There are no more paedophiles at large today than there have ever been and we sow the seeds of discontented adolescents by instilling fear and mistrust of adults in children from a young age.

I accept we need longer sentences and greater controls on convicted paedophiles, but this case merely highlights the paranoia that has infested our society and it needs to be addressed.

[Pippa68]

Once again I second everything noxlumos says ~ a boring answer from me I'm afraid, as he has put it far more eloquently than I!

[Lonnie]

I agree that this was way over the top, there was absolutely nothing wrong with it.

I'd like to cite something that happened to me a few months ago.

I was in our local Woolworths, and a little girl, about four years old, came up to me, and said she'd lost her daddy, so I took her hand, and was going into the store to find an attendant, when her father, who must have been worried out of his mind found us, he just gave me a llok, took her and went,, nothing else, but its been on my mind ever since, should I have just left her or what, the father, not asking questions, could have turned violent.

On reflection, I think I would still do the same, but the way this country is now, you have to be so careful.

[carrust]

I was in a situation last week on a campsite.I went to the toilet & I noticed 3 lads got in before me. I chose to go back to the tent & wait until they came out.Call me paranoid if you want, but if there are kids around I ignore them.

[Grunty]

I have a picture of my daughter and her cousin in the bath when they were about 3 and 4 years. It is an amusing picture but I keep it hidden because, as adults, they would find it embarassing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the picture in its context. I remember a well-known television presenter (whose name I choose to forget) being interviewed by the police because someone at Boots reported a similar photograph. Add to this the ban on parents photographing their children's efforts at school sports days....

[beejaybee]

I have pics of my grandchildren in the bath. How many of us have the dreaded baby pics of ourselves in the nude?? When I was a kid, I was told that if I was ever frightened by anyone when I was out, or fell & hurt myself, to go to the nearest house. Admittedly I lived in a little village & knew everyone. The trouble nowadays is that we don`t know our locals like we used to. In some places, people don`t even know their neighbours. We`re all made to be paranoid of any stranger & I`m as bad as the next. I don`t know if it`s being vigilant or not, but if I see any strange cars on our estate, I keep a watch.

[Ladyboyg1]

Sadly it will also mean that our children will be growing up emotionally retarded.Very often with children when they are upset or hurt , a hug or kiss is the most natural and comforting way to calm them down...and we wonder why teenagers behave as they do today!
Another worying side effect of this is that children will also spend their formative years (which are the MOST important for their emotional development) without any male involvement as the only teachers that will be able to teach in primary schools will be female...

[eezablade]

If anybody who wasn't a friend or family kissed my child on the cheek I would be extremely dipleased. Nobody has the right to kiss my children, if they don't know them.

I am a male teacher in a primary school (I teach year 1)and would never dream of kissing a child as a congratulation. Is it supposed to be some kind of reward, getting a kiss? It is certainly not appropiate in any way shape or form.

If you think it's okay, where would you draw the line? Bus drivers? Shop keepers? Single men with jam jar glasses and wispy beards?

You have to understand the difference between what is appropriate and acceptable and what is not.