Locals snapping pictures of my children?

It all depends on the situation, yes most of the time people are nice. If your level of acceptance is high enough to accept people grabbing your kid without asking you, or waking up your baby and make him cry, or take picture of your naked kids playing at the beach, good for you.
It's not about living here or somewhere else, it's about showing respect, and caring about what the parents think.

There is not ONE way to react, there is as many ways as there are some parents, and kids, and situations, as long as your react as a parent, with your feelings, positively or negatively, there is nothing wrong about that.

Also, what do you think of that guy who tried to snatch a 3 yo outside a kindergarden, and got stop by the supervisor. He explained he was just fond of children.
Is that just a "nice" guy, or a potential pedophile ?
 
Frenchy said:
It all depends on the situation, yes most of the time people are nice. If your level of acceptance is high enough to accept people grabbing your kid without asking you, or waking up your baby and make him cry, or take picture of your naked kids playing at the beach, good for you.
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Like I said, to each his own. Your level of tolerence is lower, and thats perfectly fine. You decide what is acceptable for you and your family.

It's not about living here or somewhere else, it's about showing respect, and caring about what the parents think.
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This is the norm here. I wish you best of luck trying to change it.
You have your set of beliefs, values and norms. You are in a foreign land that has a different set.
Expecting them to change and bow to you is naive at best, arrogent at worst.
I strongly suggest you take some advice from St Ambrose :
si fueris Rōmae, Rōmānō vīvitō mōre; si fueris alibī, vīvitō sicut ibi

There is not ONE way to react, there is as many ways as there are some parents, and kids, and situations, as long as your react as a parent, with your feelings, positively or negatively, there is nothing wrong about that.
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You are 100% correct.
All I'm saying is that it will happen, it will happen again. It will happen continuously as long as you take your kids out in public where there are some Chinese people.
By reacting your way, the only thing you are doing is increasing your own stress levels.
If you wish to continue to do that, then great. There is nothing wrong about that.
Also, what do you think of that guy who tried to snatch a 3 yo outside a kindergarden, and got stop by the supervisor. He explained he was just fond of children.
Is that just a "nice" guy, or a potential pedophile ?
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I'm sorry, I dont know which guy you are referring to. What is his name? Could you please post a link to the story so I can read up some more about this person?
 
Who said I wanted to change it ? I'm living here for a few years now and love it here. But I'm not going to change who I am either, even though I have a great capacity to adapt to the different countries where I've lived.
Accepting some behaviours (in which children are involved) is different from understanding a whole culture (but that could make a whole other discussion...)

Showing some respect is a minimum (to me), and that's also what I'm teatching my kids.

Also, I consider having someone grabbing my kids without asking as a stressfull situation, and by saying no, I'm getting rid of this stress. Not the contrary.

About the link, I'm not good at looking the archives, but I'm sure lots of people have read about this guy, early this year, who was caught holding a little girl's hand, then tried to snatch a 3 yo outside a kindergarden. If I manage to get the link, I'll put it asap.
 
Frenchy said:
Who said I wanted to change it ?
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You did.
By expecting a whole culture to understand, accept and bow to your ways means they need to change.

I'm living here for a few years now and love it here. But I'm not going to change who I am either, even though I have a great capacity to adapt to the different countries where I've lived.
Accepting some behaviours (in which children are involved) is different from understanding a whole culture (but that could make a whole other discussion...)
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Change or not is your choice.

Showing some respect is a minimum (to me), and that's also what I'm teatching my kids.
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Who's version of respect did you want the Chinese population to show you? Your version? *smile*
Every culture has a different definition of "respect" and expecting the Chinese race to adapt to your version of respect is naive. You wishing they had your value system is arrogant.

Also, I consider having someone grabbing my kids without asking as a stressfull situation, and by saying no, I'm getting rid of this stress. Not the contrary.
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In that case, you must be a very happy person and there is nothing further left to discuss about this situation.
 
just to add on to the cultural angle that has come in - we have been asked a couple of times in stanley by "white" people if they could snap our son. We are south asians and brown :) They were from Germany and Ireland respectively before a socio economic discussion starts here :)

For me it's a very personal discussion. I have freinds who HATE anyone putting their kid's snap on FB. I respect that. On the other hand our friends were mobbed in Beijing coz of their then two year old son. They were ok with that. It's at the end of the day what you are personally comfortable with.
 
howardcoombs said:
However, one must accept that we are living in Hong Kong and it is part of China (we are not in Europe nor in North America). Over here, it is very normal for people to take pictures of kids, touch them, cuddle them etc etc.
This is not strange, they are not pedophiles, they are not trying to kidnap the kids. They are just normal people treating children the way children are treated in this part of the world.
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Howard- This statement is simply not true. As I stated in my original post if you try and take a picture of them or their children they shake their heads "No" and hustle away. In fact there was a case where my daughter was playing with a little Chinese girl in Tai O, everyone was happy and fine with the two of them playing until my husband tried to take a picture of the two of them playing and then the Mother ran and swept up her child as though we were trying to take her and said "No."

Also, if it is the cultural norm why can't I take pictures of my own children at the playground or swimming pool without someone stopping me?

I find it ironic that someone who keeps telling everyone else to "not stress about it" always seems to through themselves into the mix and acts an instigator.
 
erina320 said:
Howard- This statement is simply not true. As I stated in my original post if you try and take a picture of them or their children they shake their heads "No" and hustle away. In fact there was a case where my daughter was playing with a little Chinese girl in Tai O, everyone was happy and fine with the two of them playing until my husband tried to take a picture of the two of them playing and then the Mother ran and swept up her child as though we were trying to take her and said "No."
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The Chinese race are not uniform nor homogeneous; they dont act all the same. I made some generalisations.
Perhaps you ran into a paranoid mother who thought you were going to post the pictures to Facebook and exploded in anger.
Perhaps she was a Chinese Muslim mother and her religion forbids photographs.
Perhaps she is one of those irrational people who think taking pictures steal your soul.
Or even maybe, she thought your husband was a pedophile and she was trying to protect her child.
Who can tell?

Also, if it is the cultural norm why can't I take pictures of my own children at the playground or swimming pool without someone stopping me?
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I have no idea. I raised 3 kids in Hong Kong. I have pictures of them in all kinds of playgrounds and swimming pools. Both public and private. I never had any issues. I've also never seen any signs forbidding photography. In fact, I regularly see Chinese parents with cameras taking pictures of their kids and sometimes my kids.

I find it ironic that someone who keeps telling everyone else to "not stress about it" always seems to through themselves into the mix and acts an instigator.
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I speak my mind simply and plainly. When I see a number of people saying irrational things, I cant help but put a few cents in there and bring some sanity into the discussion.
 
They are not homogenous and nor are we. Therefore we can react however we like as well.

I'll take a picture of the signs for you tomorrow if you like and I've read you in other posts, we have a name for people like you back home...

S#*t Stirrer.
 
erina320 said:
They are not homogenous and nor are we. Therefore we can react however we like as well.
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Ofcourse you can. As I've stated many times already, your family, your rules. You do what feels comfortable and natural to you.
That wont change the fact that next time you are in Ocean park, some Chinese family will take pictures of your kids.
Next time you are in Disney, a different Chinese family will try to touch them.
If you want peace and tranquility, you need to get used to it.
If you want to continue to have conflict, be my guest, yell and scream about it.

I'll take a picture of the signs for you tomorrow if you like.
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Just tell me where they are, I'll trust your word for it. Is it in a public park? Private estate? Private club? Which one?
Since you find this objectionable, have you done anything about it? Or did you quietly accept it, lest you be labelled a shit stirrer?

and I've read you in other posts, we have a name for people like you back home...
S#*t Stirrer.
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Is that what you call people who disagree with your views?
 
I'll take a picture for you as you seem to be someone who needs to see it for yourself.

I don't think anyone is as upset over this topic as you seem to think they are. It's a minor annoyance/ curiosity, but one I and I'm sure most of us can live with. No matter where you live in the world there are going to be pros and cons simply being a foreigner does not mean you have to be all embracing. ex. California has beautiful weather, but the traffic sucks.

No, S#*t Stirrer is what I call someone who always instigates negativity on a topic or only chimes in to call someone out. Other people have expressed differences of opinion and I have no problem with them and have not labeled them as such. Unlike you if someone has an opposing opinion on a matter I don't feel a need to tell them they are wrong, get over it or get out or that they're going to be forever miserable in HK... as you have.
 
erina320 said:
No, S#*t Stirrer is what I call someone who always instigates negativity on a topic or only chimes in to call someone out.
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I will call someone out when that someone is spreading completely false information. I only chimed in when someone on this thread decided to perpetuate urban legends that have no basis in reality.
If that makes me a shit stirrer, then so be it. If you dont like it, feel free to ignore my posts.

Unlike you if someone has an opposing opinion on a matter I don't feel a need to tell them they are wrong, get over it or get out or that they're going to be forever miserable in HK... as you have.
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Perhaps you should go back and re-read what I wrote as you seem to have misinterpreted my words.
The only idea that I dismissed out of hand as wrong was not an opinion : It was an urban legends being reported as fact.

Since you are picking names from "back home", tell me : what do they call a person who stuffs words into other's mouths? Thats precisely what you are doing as the words you have typed did not come from me.
 
We get the picture taking thing and I don't like it much but the thing that gets me is why in the world do people want pictures of strangers children? I mean I can understand if we had a nice conversation etc but to want a picture of a random child...
 
canadianinhk said:
We get the picture taking thing and I don't like it much but the thing that gets me is why in the world do people want pictures of strangers children?
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A few weeks back, we were visiting Yunnan province and ran into some Naxi women. My eldest immediately whipped out her camera a snapped a few pictures of them. Others in our tour group did the same. The ladies looked like this :
http://shanghaiist.com/2007/11/09/photo_of_the_da_115.php
I'm sure they are also wondering: Why are all these white people taking our pictures?

The answer is : humans like to capture images of things that are different; things we are not used to seeing normally. Most westerners come to Hong Kong and take pictures of the skyscrapers.
Many chinese come to Hong Kong and take pictures of westerners.
Leaving the kids aside, you should go visit Lan Kwai Fong - its funny how so many Chinese tour groups take pictures of westerners just having a beer on the street.
Random Naxi Women, Random beer drinker, Random child -- no difference except for the point that *some* parents of those children get bothered a lot due overactive imaginations and also due to the fact they are not used to strangers taking pictures.
 
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Hmmm good point. And yup I've seen the LKF tour groups going through. Rather amusing. I guess I find it amusing when some one takes a picture of me but never thought of it the same when it is with my kids. I do think you are right about relaxing about it all. I find that when I just let people take the pictures I don't get as tense and stressed about it all. I do draw the line at the grabbing and touching though because I don't like people do that to me so I'm sure not going to let someone do it to my babies and that is not just here. I don't let people I don't know do it at home either. Maybe that's my germ phobia talking :)
 
canadianinhk said:
Hmmm good point. And yup I've seen the LKF tour groups going through. Rather amusing.
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Its right down hilarious. A bunch of Mainlanders, many with expensive cameras & telephoto lenses, taking pictures of a bunch of after-work-people socializing over drinks. Its not something I would do, but they seem to enjoy doing this.

I guess I find it amusing when some one takes a picture of me but never thought of it the same when it is with my kids. I do think you are right about relaxing about it all. I find that when I just let people take the pictures I don't get as tense and stressed about it all.
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Some people hate their pics being taken, some people hate their kids pics being taken (with or without permission).
Its going to happen anyway so might as well get used to it.
Back when my 3 were younger, we invented a funny game and the kids still remember it fondly.
Go to OceanPark and see how many pictures you can insert yourself into. The one with the most pictures wins a prize at the end of the day. It was really funny watching 3 little kids running around and planting themselves in the middle of a group of visiting mainlanders to get their picture taken. Everyone was happy :-)

I do draw the line at the grabbing and touching though because I don't like people do that to me so I'm sure not going to let someone do it to my babies and that is not just here. I don't let people I don't know do it at home either. Maybe that's my germ phobia talking :)
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Still happens from time to time, but touching was never a huge problem here in Hong Kong.
But if you visit China, be prepared as you will get hoards trying to touch.
 
Quick question for you guys - are the kids getting all the photos taken of them only those with light, possibly curly hair and light colored eyes? Just wondering because no one has ever tried to take photos of my kids, touch them or anything like that, and therefore this thread was a surprise to me! My kids are mixed-race, but they have dark brown hair and eyes.
 
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