Urg. I don't even...Jesus Christ I was standing right there. He asked if we were dating. I was already exhausted and preoccupied, and all I could think to do was walk away and have a conversation with my daughter about how if a grownup tells her she's sexy she needs to not say thank you. I guess I'm glad I didn't hit him.

This happened right outside the door of Rite Aid, so we just went inside. I've been using their pharmacy and coming in there with my kid since she was 7. But I was kind of wandering and trying to figure out if we needed anything and the manager started following me around like I was a thief. Then I realized some dude was staring angrily at me, trying to catch my eye, like he wanted a confrontation. I have no clue what that was about, but it didn't help my mood. Then my daughter asked me for lipstick and when I said no she started hollering about how she's not a baby anymore. We'd been planning to stop and grab soymilk on the way home, but it was obvious that simply making it home should take priority.

I'm still fuming and analyzing those interactions. My head was full even before they happened. Today was far too much. And I got shin splints in my good leg so my gait was really weird and painful all day. Also I accidentally took my wellbutrin twice. I put the midday dose in my pocket when I left the house, but then I happened to be home when it was time to take it and I just took one from the bottle, and then later mindlessly took the one in my pocket. Now I don't feel good.

Today started with a bill collector calling me at 7 about some guy I've never heard of and a car loan or something, and they wouldn't believe me I know nothing about it. Last night I saw a guy take a corner too fast and plow into a parked car, and I thought that would be the most stressful thing on my mind today.

Good Lord, Felix! You do seem to have more than your share of nastiness befall you!

I hope that your child never ever gets "complimented" in that way again. And, I hope that things smooth out for you. You deserve so much better.

{{{{{HUGS}}}}}

Ugh, what a disgusting creep. Glad you were there to protect her.

I'd be disturbed too...I suspect that your daughter does not look older than she really is (after all, you don't let her wear makeup), so the "sexy" remark sounds positively creepy.

But I have to point out that you are looking more and more like a teenage boy in your pictures. Maybe the manager thought you two were a teenage couple and he was just keeping an eye on you in case you were thinking of shoplifting?

Quote from: Arch on February 08, 2012, 10:14:50 PM
I'd be disturbed too...I suspect that your daughter does not look older than she really is (after all, you don't let her wear makeup), so the "sexy" remark sounds positively creepy.

But I have to point out that you are looking more and more like a teenage boy in your pictures. Maybe the manager thought you two were a teenage couple and he was just keeping an eye on you in case you were thinking of shoplifting?

She doesn't look older than she is. With her demeanor and way of dressing, people usually think she's younger than she is. I think the guy was just way out of line.

But she is getting taller, and I am starting to look more like a teenage boy. If we appear to be a teenage couple at a glance, then we of course do fall into a category of people that Rite Aid tends to keep an eye on. Maybe I've changed enough for the manager not to recognize me.

-hugs-

At least you kept a cool head about everything.  The nerve of some people....

Omg I would've blown up at him that's fricken creepy.

OMG

That is nasty Felix. That's when you need to take a pic of him and give it to the police as a query paedophile.

12 yr. old = sexy? No, sorry    That would be someone I'd be rather tempted to get all no kidding Clint Eastwood with

He's a pervert Felix.

But I do hope that, whatever you do, you don't even think of getting into any sort of physical confrontation.

I don't know about your local laws, but if you can, I'd try to find a way to report this matter. That pervert, especially since he made you feel so threatened, could attack another child, perhaps without such a spunky parent.

I'm so sorry Felix. I do wish I could do something for you.

He's probably a pedophile.  You never know, maybe the Rite Aid got a complaint about a pervy guy hanging out in the Rite Aid and they pegged you by mistake?

You should report it.  My girlfriend is married to a firefighter and she helps with their local pedophile pages online.  Imagine her surprise when she went to Toys R Us and found one of them wandering around the store.   She reported him to the manager and they said they had no idea and just thought he was a weirdo.  But now he's banned.   Report it.  Those guys will just keep targeting kids until they get a hit.  The security camera at the store ought to be able to help with IDing him.

So sorry.

Quote from: Connie Anne on February 08, 2012, 09:58:55 PM
Good Lord, Felix! You do seem to have more than your share of nastiness befall you!

I hope that your child never ever gets "complimented" in that way again. And, I hope that things smooth out for you. You deserve so much better.

{{{{{HUGS}}}}}

Well lol I am kind of predisposed to trouble, being a young trans single dad walking around with a very outgoing and strange sped kid.

The shin splints I should've seen coming. Because of old injuries I often exercise asymmetrically, or get off balance while doing things in everyday life. I overworked the uninjured parts. That same mindlessness is how the med thing happened, too. Gosh that gave me weird dreams.

I think everybody is right that the guy was a pedophile. I wish I'd taken his picture. I'm not positive I'd recognize him again, as when it was happening I didn't really think, just tried to get her away from him. Her smiling at him made my stomach turn. And also yeah maybe it had been reported, and nobody had all the details but I was walking around with the kid in question. That would explain the following and dirty looks.

Huh. I think maybe why it caught me off guard was that I was standing right there, and wouldn't have imagined someone would say something like that while I'm even in earshot. Once it sunk in it was hard not to turn around and go back out and start something. I'll keep an eye out for him, and I need to go to the police station to file some paperwork anyway, so I'll inquire about this too.

Quote from: Felix on February 09, 2012, 05:43:02 PM
... I wish I'd taken his picture.

That's a good idea.  Whip out your cell phone and say, "Mind if I take your picture for the pedophile registry?"

Perhaps, but be careful. He could get aggressive.

If you can' take one discretely, perhaps by having the video function running.

Quote from: Jamie D on February 12, 2012, 01:57:39 AM
That's a good idea.  Whip out your cell phone and say, "Mind if I take your picture for the pedophile registry?"

I don't know if you were being sarcastic (and spacial your advice on this is good), but this made me lol.

Quote from: Felix on February 12, 2012, 11:42:58 PM
I don't know if you were being sarcastic (and spacial your advice on this is good), but this made me lol.

No, not actually.  There is an old adage, "The threat is greater than the execution."  A would-be pedophile is not likely to make a scene in a public place.  Your threat to take his picture let's him know you've "clocked" him.  Likewise, if the guy is just an obnoxious turd, he also knows by your action that you're not going to put up with his harassment.

Cell phone cameras have changed the paradigm on how people act in public.  I have seen any number of stories recently of people having their bad behavior recorded and used against them - be they thugs in a McDonalds, cops roughing up someone they have stopped, teachers acting badly in class, or congressmen revealing their weiners.

  There seems to be a lot of that lately.  A lot of rude gestures.  Ooff!
  Joelene

He was a jerk yes a jerk just a big fat jerk.... people will say really scary things.