Protecting one's children

This is one way how (for better or for worse 'your point of view') how the world has changed since the 1950s.

When I grew up life in the U.S. was very unforgiving. Basically, you either knew your place or you were dead. This was for everyone not just minorities either. It was not unusual for different or strange people (in any way shape or form) simply disappeared and never were heard from again and often police wouldn't get involved in these cases either.

However, the good thing about now is that people have many more rights to stay alive no matter who they are of any type of minority. You are much less likely to "disappear" into a shallow grave into someone's backyard or in other ways than in the 1950s when I was a boy. However, in some ways this also leaves society less protected in some ways too. So, it is always a balance regarding things like this. And societies go through swings in various directions.

It is sort of like putting up  impenetrable doors to cockpits in airliners so literally everyone behind the cockpit door could be dead on the plane except one or both pilots so the plane might land safely. But, here is an example where everyone died because the pilot coming back from the rest room could not get back into the cockpit to whatever was going on with the co-pilot.

Here is what happened today. I first noticed the distress of a mother in her late 20 or early 30s. She and a friend were both pregnant but also each had daughter the same age likely about 2 to 3 years of age. I got the feeling that the mothers were either sisters, cousins, best friends or something like that. However, there was fear in one of the mothers eyes when she left.

I watched her wave someone outside the restaurant and motion for them to move or to leave. The mother confided in my wife for moral support who is a very solid woman on all levels and had expressed an interest in their children because we have a grandson now less than 1 year old still. So, the mother said that a mentally challenged older man had said hi to them and had gone outside the window to play with himself while watching the women and their 3 year old (about) girls play in the restaurant.

So, after the two ladies and both children left my wife told me what had happened. I, along with all men and women present in that restaurant would have come to the aid of these mothers or these children if there had been a direct threat. But, the reason it went right over my head is that there was no threat just a mentally challenged older man who wasn't really ready for prime time life in any way but likely was alone because all his caregivers likely had died. Was he an actual threat? Likely not.

But, that didn't make this situation any less onerous for the two pregnant mothers dealing with their rambunctious little girls and then having to deal with a mentally incompetent stranger acting strange and inappropriate in a public setting.