Entry tags:
*cue the Jaws theme*
Apparently, I am Frightening to Children. Three times since moving to OR, a kid has met my eyes and reacted with fear.
The first was the daughter of my neighboring family, with whom I share a balcony and staircase. I'd say the girl is around 5 years old. She saw me walking out of my apartment as she was doing the same. Our eyes met, she cowered in the doorway, then ducked back inside and closed the door. I just raised my eyebrow after she was gone, snorted in amusement, and went on my way to check my snail mail.
The second was at my bank. I was walking up to wait in line, and there was another little girl running around, playing among the traffic-routing velvet ropes. She was about 8 or 9. Our eyes met, and she ran over to hide behind her mother's legs and watch me. Once I was at the counter and talking with the teller, the girl resumed her playing. It should be noted that I was dressed nicely for my trip to the bank, even wearing conservative makeup.
The third happened today. I was coming back from retrieving my snail mail. As I rounded the corner of the building to approach my stairway, I saw the neighbor's other kid, a boy of about 10 (who from repeated screamings by friends and his family I know to be named "Austin") had just finished parking his bike under the stairs. Our eyes met, and he reacted with actual FEAR. He stopped short, gaped at me in fright, then darted up our staircase, looking over his shoulder to watch me. Of course, I had to climb that same staircase to reach my own door. I knew that me "stalking" him would likely make him even more afraid, but I was NOT going to wander around and give him time to duck safely inside his apartment and hide from the Scary Lady before I climbed the stairs. WTF those are my stairs too! So without changing my pace, I began to climb as he was half-way up or so.
He practically scrambled the rest of the way up, threw open the door, jumped inside, and yelled "MOM!" I rolled my eyes and pulled my keys out of my hoodie pocket. (The hood was not raised, BTW.) Without so much as glancing over my shoulder, I unlocked my apartment door and went inside. I heard their door close as I was opening mine. Yes, he was so terrified he left it wide open as he leaped inside yelling for his mommy.
I can only conclude that something about me is terrifying to children. Perhaps their "darling, innocent" minds can pick up the pyschic waves of "I DO NOT LIKE KIDS" that apparently I am radiating with intensity. I only wish I could train myself to put these waves to good use. Like the next time some kids are screaming in a restaurant or bookstore, I could tune my waves to them and scare them into shutting up. KRACKLE-VWOOOOM!!! "Scary lady must hide behind Mommy and Daddy and try to be invisible!!! OHNOES!!!!"
Ahhhh...that would be awesome.... Muwahahahhaa!!! And for the record, I was not TRYING to scare any of those kids. *snorts* Buy hey! This means my neighbors will never ask me to babysit. SWEET!! XD
The first was the daughter of my neighboring family, with whom I share a balcony and staircase. I'd say the girl is around 5 years old. She saw me walking out of my apartment as she was doing the same. Our eyes met, she cowered in the doorway, then ducked back inside and closed the door. I just raised my eyebrow after she was gone, snorted in amusement, and went on my way to check my snail mail.
The second was at my bank. I was walking up to wait in line, and there was another little girl running around, playing among the traffic-routing velvet ropes. She was about 8 or 9. Our eyes met, and she ran over to hide behind her mother's legs and watch me. Once I was at the counter and talking with the teller, the girl resumed her playing. It should be noted that I was dressed nicely for my trip to the bank, even wearing conservative makeup.
The third happened today. I was coming back from retrieving my snail mail. As I rounded the corner of the building to approach my stairway, I saw the neighbor's other kid, a boy of about 10 (who from repeated screamings by friends and his family I know to be named "Austin") had just finished parking his bike under the stairs. Our eyes met, and he reacted with actual FEAR. He stopped short, gaped at me in fright, then darted up our staircase, looking over his shoulder to watch me. Of course, I had to climb that same staircase to reach my own door. I knew that me "stalking" him would likely make him even more afraid, but I was NOT going to wander around and give him time to duck safely inside his apartment and hide from the Scary Lady before I climbed the stairs. WTF those are my stairs too! So without changing my pace, I began to climb as he was half-way up or so.
He practically scrambled the rest of the way up, threw open the door, jumped inside, and yelled "MOM!" I rolled my eyes and pulled my keys out of my hoodie pocket. (The hood was not raised, BTW.) Without so much as glancing over my shoulder, I unlocked my apartment door and went inside. I heard their door close as I was opening mine. Yes, he was so terrified he left it wide open as he leaped inside yelling for his mommy.
I can only conclude that something about me is terrifying to children. Perhaps their "darling, innocent" minds can pick up the pyschic waves of "I DO NOT LIKE KIDS" that apparently I am radiating with intensity. I only wish I could train myself to put these waves to good use. Like the next time some kids are screaming in a restaurant or bookstore, I could tune my waves to them and scare them into shutting up. KRACKLE-VWOOOOM!!! "Scary lady must hide behind Mommy and Daddy and try to be invisible!!! OHNOES!!!!"
Ahhhh...that would be awesome.... Muwahahahhaa!!! And for the record, I was not TRYING to scare any of those kids. *snorts* Buy hey! This means my neighbors will never ask me to babysit. SWEET!! XD