Me and kids

I suppose one of the interesting aspects of going to another country is interacting with the children. Being that I'm at a college, I don't have much opportunity for that, but I had the opportunity this Sunday. It's not much of an interesting story. In fact, it's practically nothing at all, but I was a bit interested when I realized I was going to have the opportunity to spend time around Japanese kids. You see them running all over the place, so you wonder what they're like.

Anyway, I just went to the park with a mother and her two daughters that I know from church (I’m going to a different church now btw). My tutor, who knows the family, was there, so I didn't have to do much interacting. Yeah, they're pretty much like any other child. The older daughter is 7 (i think), and the youngest is 5 and hasn't started school yet. It's funny listening to them speak in Japanese because they seem like little geniuses since they can do something so easily that you have trouble with. You also fear conversation with them because you don't want to look stupid when you can't understand them.

I did actually have some one on one time with the youngest. Everyone had needed to use the restroom except us, so her mom told her to wait with me outside. It was great because after her mom walked off we turned and stared at each other for a few seconds with a kind of "So I guess we're stuck with each other, huh?" look. Well, that's what my look meant anyway. I also made sure to keep a good few feet in between us (Just keep reading, you'll find out what's my problem). I did try to strike up a conversation, though.

Me: *pointing at the 4 guys we had watched perform in the park* suki datta? (did you like it).
Her: un (yes)
Me: Violin o yatteiru no? (do you play the violin)
Her: un
Me: ah, sugoi (awesome)
...........

I then proceeded to snap some shots of the "weird English" on the back of some random girl's shirt.

In case you didn't know this about me, I'm not too comfortable being around children (you don't say?). Generally, I prefer to not be around them at all unless I'm related to them. In cases where I'm a complete stranger to them (and more importantly...their parents), I'm actually afraid of them. Well, more of indirectly afraid of their mothers. It's because of something I like to call "the mother bear complex". My general assumption of a mother's reaction to seeing a stranger talking with her child is hostility. This assumption is most likely due to the constant stream of messages you receive as a child from every children's book/program/teacher/your parents that teaches you to "never talk to strangers". The stranger usually assumed the role of an evil, dark shadow representing the psychotic adult bent on doing you harm whom you should kick in the shins and run from should they do so much as offer you a stick of gum.

This image has stuck with me in to my adult years, and, being the overly serious type of person that I am, I have unconciously exaggerated it to where I believe I'm in danger of being mistaken. See, any parent who allows such an absolute view to be imparted to their children most likely has this view themselves. With every stranger being viewed as the potential serial killer looking for their next victim, the only acceptable reaction from a parent would be, of course, to go ballistic. That being said, I'm much better of not even entering the situation. Particularly, when you are in a different country, and it is quite possible the parent may indeed have a warped view of you as the foreigner.

And after reading this post, you're probably thinking "Yes, it’s best that you stay away from children....weirdo".