Yesterday my 13 year old lass had some friends round, ages varying from 8-12 and we shoo'd them out to play in some nearby fields to play, something we've done many times before. Secure, safe, and 3-4 minutes away.
This time they asked if they could borrow my digital camera. Fine, I said. Just look after it, which I knew my little'un would.
They were approached by a local they didn't recognise walking his dog, who asked "That's an expensive looking camera, who's is it?" Naturally, she said "It's my dads" He asked, "what are you using it for?"
"Pictures of my friends and I playing to put in my scrap book and diary."
He asked to look at it, flicked through the pictures and handed it back. "Tell your dad he can get into a lot of trouble with pictures like that. He can get done having pictures of kids on his camera, who's y'dad?" They ran off.
But they ran back to me to tell me, so I've burned all the pictures to DVD, handed a copy to all their parents, printed out copies for Tots to put in her diary, and wiped them from my camera.
It just takes one self opinionated bloke in a pub after a few drinks to cause no end of trouble.
How did we Brits ever get into this position?
3 comments:
Have been wafting from blog to blog, as you do, and found yours. It is frightening how stupid and ignorant people are about things like photos of children. Paedophiles - real ones - do not conduct themselves in this way. They are cunning, secretive, and very hard to pin down. Having had dealings - direct and indirect - with them, I do Know what I'm talking about. Your poor daughter. But I'm glad she's recovered sufficiently to scrump apples!
Thank you Frances.
It was my niece. Not that it makes a lot of difference.
My lass and I once belonged to a religious community, when we had young children, and we hit against them time and again. So, your underlying suggestion that they are prevalent is true in our experience.
What was annoying me, in my post, was that kids with a camera should have the public fear that you could be accused of something if kids take photo's of themselves, or parents take photo's of their kids and friends.
It's just plain wrong that a tiny minority get themselves on a power kick by inducing fear in the general population.
Please post again.
I actually heard of a terrifying incident in which a drriver saw a toddler alone on the pavment, but thought he oughn't interfere, so he didn't stop. The child was subsequently run over and killed.
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