I have the ability to get along with people of any age. I don't find it difficult to make conversation with someone who is alot older than me, in fact in many ways I find it far more interesting. I enjoy good thoughtful conversations, about real issues. Now there is a pub that my friends and I go to, on quite a regular basis. This pub is quite youth based, though there is a variety of people that go in. I know alot of my friends would never dream of having a conversation with the older people that go in there, and would much rather stay within their own little group, and discuss the deep issues, like what Brittney Spears had for dinner. Now I am not above such conversations, but I like variety, and I get bored easily, so I am happy to talk to as many people as possible. There is a guy who I chat to, who is about the same age as my Dad. He is a bit of a dry old stick, and I appreciate that quality, as so am I. We discuss the football, and what we are upto, and just generalt chit chat. A few of my friends find him quite difficult to talk to, because he is very sharp, and if he doesn't agree with what you say, he pulls you up on it straight away. Again, qualities I appreciate in people. In all honesty he is a grumpy old man, but I find that quite endearing. Maybe because I know I am on my way to being a grumpy old woman.
I was having an innocent conversation with him a few nights ago. One thing that I am extremely guilty of, is going on about my little niece, far to much. I am like one of these pushy parents, who has to bore people to tears about how their kid just burped for the very first time, and it truely is a moment for the history books. I know I am doing it, but she is just so wonderful in my eyes that I just don't see how other people can't be interested. Anyway, I was on one of them kind of speeches. This guy was listening to me, he even managed to look interested, and grunt in the right places. A few of my friends were there too, and everyone was just generally happily chatting away. I was telling this guy how I look after my niece most weekends, and how generally she is very attached to me. Which he smiled at, and thought was quite nice. I then went on to say, how sometimes it can get a little too much. He questioned this. So I explained that Maddy sleeps in the same bed as me when she stays, and that I usually wake up with her directly in my face, like nose to nose, or somehow she has managed to get on top of me, and has fell asleep on me. Just to be as close as possible. Innocent comments, right? Well you would think so, but apparently not. The guy gave me a bit of a strange look, and then told me I shouldn't say such things, because you know how people can take things the wrong way, and anyone would think I was grooming her. Like WHAT THE HELL? At first I thought that this obviously must be a joke, that nobody could surely think such things. He was deadly serious though. A few of my friends laughed nervously, and tried to move on. I was completely offended though. I think he could see he had offended me, and he did say he didn't mean anything by it, just sometimes people can get the wrong impression.
I left it at that, and I left soon after. Maybe I am just to easily offended, I don't know. Should I not be able to tell people that I love my niece, and she loves me, and how well we get along? Is that wrong? There are some people who have bad intentions towards children. These people are pure evil. Parents, and everyone should be careful with their children, and who they trust with them, but now it's reached a ridiculous point where even the most innocent of comments can be seen in a negative light. A part of me thinks that is the price we have to pay, and if it means we are more careful, and our children will be safe, then that's the way it is. It is very sad when we have to watch what we say though, even when we have the best of intentions. That we can't even show that we are close with a child, without someone seeing it in the worse possible way. You see I don't think I should even write that 'close with a child', because it can be taken the wrong way. That makes me sad. As a woman I know I get off lightly, men have it far worse.
This reminds me of a story a friend of mine told me a few years ago. He said he went out late one night, he just popped to the shops in his car, it must of been about 10pm. Across the road from the shop is a bus stop, and he pulled up to the shop, and saw a little girl waiting at the bus stop, she was about 11 years old. Out on her own at 10pm. That's wrong. Anyway, he came out of the shop, and she was still there, waiting for the bus. He got in his car, but he just couldn't leave without seeing this little girl was alright. He didn't feel that he could go upto her, and actually ask, because of how people view that, and he didn't want to scare her. So he just sat in his car and waited for the bus to come, and saw that she got on it alright. How sad is it that he had such good intentions, but he felt that he couldn't even ask if she was alright. Sometimes I think we are to street smart for our own goods. I know that we don't live in a fairytale world, I know that there are evil people out there, but there are good people too. There are those that do good things all the time, and mean well. Who would never do harm, and in fact would go out of their way to make sure you are alright. Why don't we think more of these people, and see the good in people. Peter Pan got it right, we should never grow up.