There’s something about babies; they’re magnets for unwanted attention from strangers in the street.
You can’t do a grocery shop without unwanted hands caressing your baby’s head or reaching out to touch his hand.
One dad has had enough of the unsolicited touching and has recorded a video message asking strangers to stop touching his child.
This Dad Wants Strangers To Stop Touching His Baby
Journalist Elon James White uploaded the video as part of his Daddy Game Proper Youtube series and it has already racked up thousands of views.
In the short clip, he explains:
“As a loving, caring father, I’m asking society, could you stop touching my baby?”
White admits he feels proud when strangers tell him his kid is adorable.
But he also goes on to explain why he wants people to quit touching his kid. “I don’t even want you touching me like that. If you wouldn’t touch a stranger, why do you feel like you should touch a child?”
Babies are people, even if they very small adorable ones. Any parent will tell you horror stories of strangers grabbing at their child.
My personal pet hate is when it’s the nicotine-stained fingers of a stranger reaching out to stroke my baby’s cheek. Sure, my baby has soft skin and yes it’s amazing to touch, but walking past us on the street doesn’t give you the right to do that.
I made that skin, I grew it in my body and then I pushed it out. That baby soft skin is for me to stroke, not you, random old lady in the supermarket. Keep your hands to yourself! I saw you, coughing into them just now and I don’t want those germs being rubbed on my baby’s face.
White explains: “All types of people will touch my kid…I don’t want want to be a dick to you, but, at the same, time, you’re touching my baby. Why are you touching my ch – stop touching my child. I don’t know where you’ve been. You could be the most clean person in the entire world…but I don’t know that and now you’re touching my child.”
He concludes the short video rant with an important message: “Is it that weird to say, ‘hey don’t touch my kid’, like, is that odd? Is that confusing for you? I don’t care if it’s confusing, please stop touching my kid.”
It seems White isn’t the only parent who feels strongly about this issue. The video received a positive reaction from viewers.
One person commented: “People seem to feel a need to touch pregnant women’s bellies, too. They don’t even wait ’till the kid is out to try touching it…Then they act like the person they just touched without permission is the one with the problem if the response is negative.”
This is, of course, true. Women seemingly become public property as soon as they get a bump, with strangers leaning in to give it a rub.
It’s not fun to be the person saying ‘get your stupid hands off my bump’ or ‘get off my baby, you weirdo’. Not everybody wants to look rude, especially when the offending strangers are probably just people who love babies and remember those days with fondness.
Some parents might not care about it, but wouldn’t it be easier if people asked for permission before reaching out to cop a feel instead of just assuming it will be ok? Shouldn’t the assumption be that people don’t want to be touched, rather than that they’re ok with it?
Being a new parent is hard enough without having strangers flock to you so they can squeeze your baby every time you go to the doctors. The doctors! Where sick people go.
Yep, they’ll even grab your baby there. If you want them to stop, just explain that you’re at the doctor because you think your baby has some terrible contagious disease. That should buy you a few minutes of peace from the relentless paws of society.
What do you think? Do unwelcome touches drive you crazy or is it no big deal?
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