This saddens me (Fireteam Builder Events)

by Dagoonite, Somewhere in Iowa, lost in a cornfield., Wednesday, March 25, 2015, 22:51 (3312 days ago) @ Robot Chickens

I know you were joking, but have we really gotten to the point in society where a male adult cannot express affection for spending time with another person's children without it having a connotation of pedophilia? Even the phrasing was pretty natural. When kids have fun, they generally call it playing. To say "I enjoy playing with your kids" shouldn't be automatically affiliated with deviant behavior.

At the same time, I understand that adult males are the chief perpetrators of the type of crime connoted. Given that, I understand why the stereotype exists for males, but it seems like we ought to have better ways to react to this without going down that road. I read North's post and took it for what it meant. Perhaps I'm naive.

I hope this doesn't come across as too knee-jerk, but it is something that has bothered me for a while about our culture's language and how innuendo limits the ability of cross generational friendship.

I understand, and agree. I'm a special case for a variety of reasons (not the least of which being that the entire sheriff's department used to patrol the route that I took home until junior high, and until I turned 25 I used to play with special needs kids at a nearby grammar school) but I still frown over how guys get looked at.

I like kids, but there's nothing sexual about it. They're full of life, vitality, and imagination. The stories they come up with are silly, but if you look past the inconsistencies of them, they're something magical and wonderful. These days, though? I only listen to my godchildren's stories. It's... not safe for me any more. And I hate every moment of them.