Mary, If you feel uncomfortable as a woman, you should try putting yourself in the position of a single male! I've learned to live with the constant anxiety in the company of children of being presumed or suspected of being a paedophile. Unless I am well acquainted with them and their parents, I wouldn't dare touch a child, and even when I do know them I am still constantly mindful of not doing anything with them that could possibly be seen as "inappropriate".

 

It is a sad state of affairs, but one that is impossible to change in the kind of society we have created. There ARE a fair number of paedophiles out there (although the threat they pose ranges widely) and I can understand why parents are concerned and inclined to err on the side of caution.

 

The media (your lot) doesn't help either, whipping up hysteria, as it does about all sorts of things, for the sake of a story and promoting business.

 

Human feelings and behaviour evolved over millions of years to serve our survival in family groups, where everyone was known to everyone else. It has had no time to adapt to the far larger social units of civilisation, which only arose a few thousand years ago. It is no wonder that society is (and always has been) in such a terrible state. But because it forms an artificial socio-economic environment (which has replaced the natural environment) which we are totally immersed in and dependent upon, we don't (or barely) recognise it.

 

More on my anthropological view of society at http://www.spaceship-earth.org