Post
by ninety9 » Sun Jan 19, 2014 6:01 pm
I'm addressing the comments made throughout this thread about suspicious looks and hostility directed at guys with kids and about the fear created.
I din't live ion Cambodia. I come here from time to time to visit a Kapuchea Krom girlfriend who lives in VN and who has family members in PP. She has a daughter who has ranged in age from about 4 to 9 and a niece of the same age that always comes along. Also, several of her sister's boys from 3 to 15 have been with us sometimes.
We've been in PP, Sville and Saigon mant times. When the boys along we get them a separate room, as there are just too many for 1 room and the older boys are accustomed to taking care of the younger kids as they apparently do at home.
Otherwise the 2 girls and the youngest boy when he's along stay in our room in a 2nd bed. We've stayed that way for at least 60 or 70 nights. I am regularly alone with them but I could not tell you how much, as I have never thought a second thing about it. I have never been looked at weirdly in any hotel or, to my knowledge by any local or barang anywhere.
I've taken them alone to the playground near Wat Phnom, which the really like, alone several times. Once while walking back to the hotel I stopped w. them to watch the volleyball players at the counts neat the Post Office [recommended]. The girls didn't speak English then. They started trying to tell me something but I don't understand Khmer. i thought they had to go to the bathroom but I was not sure. So i took them to the Post Office and asked one of the ladies there to ask them what it was. It turned out they were just saying they wanted to go back to the hotel. I had a very pleasant chat with the lady who quite liked the girls and we went on our way.
We took them to Sharkey's and to anther club near the river to see some rock bands, pretty good music as it turned out. The kids loved it and the everyone quite liked them. Again no stares, no problems.
I am not a loud confrontational type, but I ain't Gandhi either. If i got any hassle about the above, I would directly and quickly address it in a firm manner.
I do feel that avoiding public contact with children because others may have wrong and distracted thoughts about it is very wrong. It deprives the kids of warm and appropriate contact and lends credence to some harmful nonsense.