Capetonian suggests this is down to Bullying Britain, yet then states that if he is sat next to children, he will ask the parents if they are OK with that? Why ask, if it's not an issue? With UM's, there are no parents to ask.
As it happens, I complete agree with most posters. Females can present as much of a risk as males, but we are dealing with perception and predudice.
Imagine Susie, aged 8, is on her first ever flight alone. Shortly after take off, Susie gets a little upset. The crew are in the middle of service, so the passenger next to her tries to make her feel better by, maybe putting an arm round her shoulder, or giving her a hug. Nothing sinister in that at all. It's what most caring adults would do. By the time the service is complete, Susie is feeling much better and chatting away, ten to the dozen, to the passenger.
The flight lands and Susie can't wait to tell her Mummy all about it. "I was upset and this lady put an arm round me and gave me a cuddle", she says. The Mother will probably think, how nice of the lady to help her daughter out. But.....how about if Susie says, "I was upset and this man put his arm around me and gave me a cuddle". The chances are that in many cases, the Mother, possibly already feeling guilty about sending their precious child on a flight on their own, is going to have a slightly different reaction. Yes, it's wrong and highly unfair, but we appear to have been preconditioned to think that way. Before you know it, some poor gent that has done absolutely nothing wrong, is being questioned.
And that is the most innocent of scenarios. As Paddy has already said, not all children are sweetness and light. Some are extremely manipulative and they know just how to work the system. That's why I say, it's as much to protect the passenger as it is the child. It's not ideal, but right now, it's all we have to work with.
Does that make any sense?
Last edited by jetset lady; 16th Jan 2010 at 11:48.