Why don't we trust men?

If my son was lost again, I would want everyone to help him but not everyone would.

As a parent if you have ever lost your child, you will know that instant stomach turning feeling is the scariest thing you can imagine.

I once lost my four-year-old son. It got to the point where I had to ring 000. I was numb and shaking and I had no idea what to do.

Luckily, my story turned out fine due to some help from my lovely neighbours.

Sadly, new research shows this is not always the case with 23% of men saying they would shy away from assisting a child in need for fear they may be viewed in a bad light.

A further 45% said they would be worried about how they may be perceived but would still assist a child only if they were in “great distress”.

As any mum who has lost a child, particularly at a shopping centre, knows the more hands on deck looking for the child the better.

When she lost her child at the shops, she never expected this to happen.

What a sad world it is that good men, hard working, honest fathers and partners, like our own, admit they would be scared to help a lost or distressed child for fear of others thinking they have suspect motives.

What’s more sad is that it is true.

Because of horrible stories that have come out in the media we are now conditioned to think the worse.

I know, even as a woman, that there has been days in wild weather where I have seen kids walking home from school. I know these kids live in my street and play with my kids but I have never offered them a lift because I have never met their parents and don’t know what they would think.

I know I have good intentions, and I know I live literally just up the road but I don’t know that that’s how their parents would view it so I’ve let the kids walk home.

So what is the answer? Is there an answer?

For every parent who has been (unfairly) judged by another parent…

Will we increasing live in a society where we worry about how our every move will be scrutinised?

Are we living in a society where a good man that would help a lost child will chose not to in fear of being judged. It seems we are.

Earlier this week we saw the case of Michelle Levy, an 11 year-old who spent 48 hours with a man she didn't know. This man is not being investigated and Michelle's father told Sydney Morning Herald that he wanted to thank the man "who had taken her under his wing".

Prior to this information being released, everyone had jumped to the worse scenarios in their heads.

Did he find her online? Did he abuse her? Did he coax her into his home?

The reason why we shouldn't be forcing our children to hug people.

This is what the media outlets reported and this is what the general public were saying. This is the society we live in.

If Michelle had stayed with a woman would this be different? Would she be thanked and interviewed and awarded for caring for the child? Or would we be judging her like we judged this man? The way we judge all men when they are around children.

I don't know how we can change things or if they can change but I do know that if my partner ever finds a lost or distressed child I want him to help them because if I was that child's mother I would want my child found.

Should men be fearful of being judged when they go to help a child is distress? Would the Michelle Levy case be different if she had been with a woman for 48 hours instead?  

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