Ok so yes I know and understand that we are a baby-worshipping country here in the Philippines. People have a LOT of kids, babies are blessings, yada yada yada. And like in any other culture, most adults find most babies cute and will remark about it when they see a baby held by a stranger. Seriously though, can be have some boundaries? I am not at all a germophobe, I will happily let me baby lick the floor of our house if that's what he wants to do, it's good for his immune system. My objection to random people touching my baby is not based on a fear of germs, it is just based on my personal space issues.
Is it unreasonable to ask that random strangers not touch my baby even if it is with admiration? Here are some odd experiences of baby touching (not in a pervy way mind you):
1. Security guards, especially male ones, they like touching my baby. They will hold his hand and shake it, or touch his feet because of the belief in usog. I don't know what "para wag mausog" means but it sounds creepy. What is creepier though is random people touching my baby.
2. Salespeople at stores like to go in there and pinch his cheeks. I get that they are trying to say he is cute, but can they use their words instead?
3. Here's a doozy. A waitress in a restaurant looked into his bassinet admiring how adorable he is, then she literally reached in there and plucked his pacifier out of his mouth and told ME NOT TO USE IT BECAUSE HE IS HUNGRY AND HE SHOULD EAT! THE NERVE! I was so shocked I couldn't react properly, I wanted to make a scene and get her fired.
Ok it sounds like i have something against servicepeople touching my kid, but that's not true, I hate all strangers that touch my baby, it's just they are typically the strangers that like to touch my kid for some reason. And I spend a lot of time in the mall.
I have been told I need to get used to unsolicited advice from strangers when I'm pregnant or holding a baby. I can deal with unsolicited advice, but touching my baby is another thing altogether. If I don't know you and I've never met you or I haven't had more than a 2-sentence conversation with you, don't touch my baby.
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