I'm sure many of us parents have read the blog post he wrote about strangers touching your baby without permission (if you havnt go read it). Then I came across Hot FM 91.3's Facebook page and they too posted this question saying that if someone touched my child I should take it as a compliment as I made a cute child. I found this statement super offensive and very thoughtless to us parents (a statement obviously made by someone who doesn't have a child).
Firstly let's get this right... What sparked him to write about this topic is because a stranger carried his child WITHOUT permission. I think it's just rude to touch a stranger's property (eg: if you see a stranger carrying a nice bag and you wanna take a look at it you don't simply touch the bag without their permission right?) and this is a baby we are talking about here. Shouldn't the parents have the basic respect from an absolute stranger to at least ask before they touch their child!? Even our personal friends will ask us permission before they carry baby G. Friends... So strangers are expected to do the same thing too.
Secondly, people who comment saying that they as parents are being overprotective, paranoid and might as well leave the child at home if you don't want others to touch are just insensitive people who do not have children of their own. Children fall ill really easily from the slightest exposure of germs. We don't even know what the stranger touched before they touch your child. And as a parent of a premature baby (just like fighter's parents) of course I will get a bit edgy if some unknown hands reach out to wanna touch my child. Premature babies have gone through a lot during the beginning days of their life and no they don't need to be exposed to your filthy germs thank you very much.
Thirdly, saying that if a stranger wants to touch your child you should take it as a compliment cause that means you made a cute baby... Well there are a lot of ways to compliment your child wad. Why must it be in a form of a physical touch? Then you wait till you have your own child and see if you will still think this way.
Forthly, I have read a case where a complete stranger, without asking the permission of the parents, actually had the nerve to physically carry the child away from it's parents and brought the child back to their own table!! Like excuse me wouldn't you as a parent be super traumatised and upset?! There are so many cases of children being abducted these days. Yes call us paranoid or whatever but we have the right to be!
What I cannot stand are these people who call us parents paranoid and crazy are people who don't even have children of their own. Obviously when it's not your child it's easy to say such things. But when you have your own child.. Trust me it will be a different case.
Thankfully for us we have never encountered any strangers wanting to touch baby G. I guess cause she is always locked in her pram so people have not attempted to yet. But I did have this discussion with my husband and trust me he will go ape shit at that stranger who attempts to touch/carry her without asking. I'm sure if you ask nicely we may consider. That is why we always hang an antibacterial gel on her pram. Even as her parents we always make sure our hands are clean before we handle her. So obviously we expect strangers to respect this too.
To summarize... It's just basic manners to ask before you touch someone's property or child. And then it's up to the parents themselves to decide if they want to let you touch their child. And please remember they aren't obliged to say yes just because you were polite to ask cause it is still their child at the end of the day.
