[nonconformnmom]

This has happened to us a few times and I am curious how other parents handle it. How do you react when a stranger takes a photo of your child(ren)? I can give two examples of when it happened with us. One was on a train in Europe, my 2 year old dd was being a typical two year old and this older guy and his wife were laughing and smiling at her. He took out his video camera and started videotaping her, without saying anything to me or dh. I looked across the aisle at dh and raised my eyebrow but said nothing. He continued to tape, maybe for about 2 minutes. The second example was at a wedding. We noticed the people at an adjacent table were enjoying watching the antics of our youngest dd, 21 months during dinner. Later in the evening, she took a spoonful of cheesecake and sort of threw it onto the table, THWAP! The people at the other table started laughing hysterically. The woman came over with her camera and snapped a photo, saying "Your daughters are absolutely ADORABLE!" (She was more than a little tipsy. I'm imagining her reviewing the photos on her camera the next day and seeing our dd and going "What the ...?"

)

So, anyway. It sort of bugs me but I guess I don't want to be rude and say "don't take her picture". What do other parents do when a stranger starts to take a photo of your child?

 

[StephandOwen]

Well, for the wedding one I wouldn't really say anything because a lot of people take pictures at weddings and then give them to the bride/groom so they can see all the stuff they missed. Maybe that's what was happening?

For the Europe one.... I don't know. If that had happened here where I live I would not be happy at all. But maybe that's something that's done often in Europe? I couldn't tell you.

I've never had anyone randomly start taking pictures of ds. One of the grandma's at his preschool did bring in a video camera and was taping last week, but asked every parents permission first.

 

[swebster]

no opinion really, but thought I'd share my strange story too....

I was hanging out at an artsy event here on the MIT campus when a group of japanese tourists came swooping through. they all ooohed and aaaaahed over Bea (who was looking particularly adorable in her bonnet

: ). One couple with their teenage son were absolutely entralled and spent a good 15 minutes going ga-ga over her. The teenage son then asked if he could have his picture taken with her! Why not right? Well, each of them took a turn standing next to me and getting their picture snapped as I held her. What the heck? I felt like Pluto at Disneyland. The mother kept squeezing her thighs and saying "breastmilk, breastmilk" (she must have seen me nursing earlier)...that seemed to be the only word she knew in english, which made me like them even more.

 

[Jaydens_mom]

If someone took pictures of my son because they thought he was cute and it was during a trip or a wedding, and he was making them laugh, i would just think they are trying to record thier memories of that trip or wedding...

Pictures are harmful.. how many people in your life that you didn't know or didn't really know have taken your picture?

 

[nonconformnmom]

swebster wrote:

Quote:

I felt like Pluto at Disneyland. The mother kept squeezing her thighs and saying "breastmilk, breastmilk" (she must have seen me nursing earlier).

What a great story! Thanks for sharing that.

Your daughter is adorable (and you're pretty, too.)

 

[3happygirls]

OMG!! This has happened to me and I've mentioned it a couple times to friends and just got the "shrug". It's wierd now, I think, with cameras and videos being so small and easily accessible and camera phones, etc. People don't feel like they're "wasting" film on digital, etc. It's creepy, though, not knowing what they will do with the pictures. I was REALLY CREEPED out, b/c both times this has happened it was an older man taking pictures of my girls. No wife or , "Oh, aren't they cute?", etc. ONE...I THINK was pretty

. I have twins, and the man in the store who was helping us was a twin (people are so wierd about that)! So, I *think* that's what the interest was, but he seriously whipped this camera out of nowhere!!!

The other situation was more creepy....it was my neighbor-lady's son...who is about 60 yrs. old that was visiting her. My girls were outside playing and I had to run in to get the baby (after helping them outside with their lunch), and I came out to find him taking pictures of my girls. They don't even KNOW him!! I had a HUGE long talk with them about not letting strangers do anything to them or with them without asking me first!!

Anyway...my question has always been, when this happens, what do you do? Someone suggested I ask what their intentions are with the pictures, are they going to delete them, send me a copy or what? Do I tell them I'd rather not have my child's pictures taken at all? I find it incredibly AWKWARD!!

 

[nonconformnmom]

3happygirls - I have similar feelings as you expressed in your post. While the two examples I gave were clearly harmless in intent (and I'm not worried about those instances) - the concept itself of strangers taking photos (or much worse, video) of my kids without so much as asking my leave really does disturb me. I'm glad to know I'm not alone in that.