This is HORRIBLE.
Horrible and sexist. To treat a man who likes children as a pedophile is horrible.
I am thankful i live in a city where if my husband and i start up a conversation with a child we don't know in the cart in front of us at the supermarket, the mother smiles
Sapphire wasn't far off on this one. It's my story she was reacting to. This man stood in a pool, never swam. He never took his eyes off of us. Eventually, my older son and I moved to the hot tub. Only then did the man move and he came closer to us. He's still in the pool, standing, watching us. I kept looking toward the pool to check my younger children and he was always in my eye line. My son got out of the hot tub and within a minute the man came and got in with me. (My Olympic-jump over the side as he came down the steps was my feat for 2012.) I walked over to faux speak to my children and he got back out, took the same position against the end of the pool and proceeded to stare. So we left.
My son is 12 and, while polite and smart, is usually not surveying the area for perps. However, today he was the one who noticed the man first and it made him feel uncomfortable.
I don't think anyone is saying to avoid all males. My kids are mannered and will chat and be friendly. But in my quiet little town, there is one sex offender out of a long list who assaulted an adult. The rest were on children. Many of their profiles are inaccurate as to where they live and work. One is a woman, all the rest are men. And many, way too many, come here directly from Hunstville. I'm not sure why. We're a big tourist spot and if you were to visit, you'd never think RSO or unsafe town.
So while we're not rude, we're very aware. And if we feel creeped out, we're not staying.