Projection if ever I heard it. Everything you’ve said in the comments is questionable. I don’t get the same ick from Derrick’s questions and comments. He asked you some valid questions and explained well.
I think KJ can easily read a young girl or two’s minds. She was a girl once - 2 are easier to pick up on than one as well - she also knows what it feels like as an adult female (we don’t change all that much, we just get bigger and a bit stronger, plus have more experience), and she’s a mum. You might not like to believe it, but women do have an innate ability to nurture ‘our young’, which covers many areas. We also pick up on micro-gestures, body language, tone of voice, and I am pretty darn sure we even pick up on things like pheromones and hormonal changes, adrenaline etc, especially with younger children.
I will interact with unknown children, but never ‘befriend’. I don’t like talking to children who don’t have a responsible adult with them… but I will always spot a child who doesn’t have an adult with them and keep a watchful eye, and approach if concerned. Mum instinct again (even though I had it before I became a mum).
One BIG thing for me is watching how I interact, even with a mum or dad or other caregiver around, and even though I’m a tiny, very petite middle aged woman/mum. I do not think children should feel overly comfortable around strange adults, they should never grow up feeling like all adults are safe. I am conscious of theirs and their parents’ boundaries (whether or not the parent is there).
Kids should always be wary of unknown adults, not least those who are very or overly friendly, and not least men. The crime stats don’t lie. Male pattern violence is a very real thing, as are men being the main predator in the human race (not all men, but most predators are men).
