I saw this WSJ article last month when it was referenced by Dr. Helen.  It came to my mind again because of something that happened as I was leaving the vet’s office yesterday afternoon.

When children get lost in a mall, they’re supposed to find a “low-risk adult” to help them. Guidelines issued by police departments and child-safety groups often encourage them to look for “a pregnant woman,” “a mother pushing a stroller” or “a grandmother.”

The implied message: Men, even dads pushing strollers, are “high-risk.”

Are we teaching children that men are out to hurt them? The answer, on many fronts, is yes. Child advocate John Walsh advises parents to never hire a male babysitter. Airlines are placing unaccompanied minors with female passengers rather than male passengers. Soccer leagues are telling male coaches not to touch players.

A woman had parked her Tahoe next to my Avalanche and was in the process of unloading her kids when I exited the office with Malcom.  He was a bit stressed,  so I took him into the grass next to the office for a minute to let him sniff around and get calmed down.  The lady got the first child into a stroller and pushed it up over the curb onto the sidewalk and went back to get the second child.  The sidewalk has a slight incline and I noticed the stroller start rolling backwards towards the curb and I was certain it would tip over if it got that far.  I ran towards it and yelled at the woman about the stroller.  But as I went I couldn’t help but think about the fact that I was an adult male running towards a stroller with a child in it.  Fortunately, the woman saw what was happening and got to it before I did, and she didn’t react badly. 

Am I overreacting?  I don’t think so, considering that just the accusation of some sort of inappropriate conduct with a child is enough to completely ruin a man’s life these days.  And I hate that it’s come to this.  Men are afraid to interact with children who aren’t related (and sometimes even if they are), and children are growing up sensing that men are uncomfortable around them, which probably damages them in some way or another.

I don’t know how we get out of this hole we’ve dug for ourselves, though.  Just that we need to do something different.