Touching

A common complaint among mothers-to-be (aka pregnant ladies) is that once they start showing, their belly seems to be public property.  I have heard many stories of total strangers laying hands on their bellies.  I don’t guess I ever had that problem, or else I have blocked it from my memory.  And before anyone asks, no I am not pregnant.

But I do wonder what it is about my children that makes people here think it is ok to touch them.  

Sometimes we walk down the street and random people try to stop the kids and they grab at their arms.  And they often touch their faces and hair.  Some days it can be hard to deal with. For the kids and parents!

It is hard to know what to do.  I don't want the kids to be rude, and I don't to be rude, but what do you do when a total stranger touches your face?

I understand that I am dealing with a  very  different culture, and that my kids look very  different than most kids around here but it still seems very rude to me.  

I don't mean to be negative.  Most of the time, things are fine when we go out.  We just run into some "touchy" people every once in a while.  And they are always friendly and usually are unaware, that their actions are strange to us.

It is just one of those things that we deal with living as an outsider in this culture.