Too Close for Comfort

It's official.

We are now known as "Hannah's Daddy" and "Hannah's Mummy". I thought that only happened when kids started going to school and teachers refer to the parents in that manner.

Let me explain. A typical incident would be something like this:

Our happy little family decides to drop by the local hypermarket (yes, that's how rampant these stores are now!) to pick up a few things for dinner. As we innocently browse through the cheese section, Hannah gets a greeting from a total stranger. Well, at least a stranger in our eyes.

The over-friendly lady pinches Hannah's cheeks, comments on her lovely eyes and tries to get her little 3-year-old grandaughter to wave to Hannah, all the time speaking in an animated high-pitched voice. Her pregnant daughter smiles but maintains a comfortable distance, probably realising how unnerving it is for parents to have such an invasion of privacy!

Little children have limited memories, and that little girl obviously didn't remember their supposed meeting several days ago at the bank. Our excited stranger-friend quickly explains that the two girls had become instant friends while waiting for Hannah's grandparents to sort out a bit of banking.

Where was my mother or mother-in-law? In her excitement, she probably didn't realise that Chris was not likely to have a Chinese mother. Anyway, a question like that was more acceptable than an incredulous, "are YOU the mother?".

We gave a polite answer, grabbed a tub of yoghurt and excused ourselves. Now, we were more aware of several salesgirls trying to make eye contact, some even calling out to Hannah with unusual familiarity. We quickly paid for our purchases, slightly unsettled by the attention.

"So, she's your daughter!"

Despite trying to ignore that comment, eventually I had to turn to face the lady who was making repeated attempts at starting a conversation. It turned out to be the Ice Cream Lady, located strategically at the exit of the hypermarket. Apparently she had noticed Hannah with her grandparents before.

By the time we got home, we were sufficiently relaxed to laugh about the whole experience. Hannah's grandparents validated the bank story, but could not recall ever meeting an Ice Cream Lady.

Obviously, Hannah has been going places with her Gong Gong and Po Po. Supermarket runs probably take a lot longer than before with the amount of socialising that must be taking place.

This leads us to a few question:


If Hannah is so cute, why hasn't she won any photo contests? We have come to the conclusion that there are way too many babies cuter than her.


Are we being too obsessive about strangers keeping their distance? Obviously her grandparents have been making more friends than her parents (who have a policy of being aloof to strangers).


Will this ever stop? Call us ungrateful or over-sensitive, but we'd appreciate an outing to the supermarket or a meal out without having to be vigilant about strangers coming up to pinch Hannah's cheeks.


How often do children get kidnapped in public places? Ah, the ultimate irrational fear of all (new) parents.



Unfortunately, Hannah's proud grandparents thrive in this sort of attention (as all grandparents do!). As long as we go to the same places to shop or eat, Hannah's likely to meet people who know her better than we would like.


Shouldn't we be receiving free ice cream samples at the very least?