Would You Intrude on This Couple

[MIGrandma]

There is a large park by a lake. Lots of picnic tables scattered about, some very close to the lake. A playground is in the center. The park is completely empty except for one couple at a secluded picnic table having lunch. You have to go down a hill to get to this picnic table. You can't see it from most of the area in the park, except when standing on this hill. You can look down and see the picnic table clearly. As I said, the rest of the park was empty.

A mother with her two young children decide to walk right down beside the picnic table to look at the water. The kids are running back and forth directly in front of the picnic table. They stay several minutes. Then the grandmother comes down to take a couple pictures of her daughter and kids by the water. Obviously they are intruding on this couple. There were several other areas they could have gone to, so the kids could look at the lake and run around and they could take their pictures.

If you were this mother with your two young children would you have walked down right beside the couple at the picnic table, or would you have chosen to go to another area by the lake?

 

[Bonnie40]

I wouldn't have. The way you've explained it, there were plenty of places they could have enjoyed the lake without invading the space of the couple having lunch. Sounds kinda weird that they chose to do that....

 

[marlynnp]

Intrude? They didn't go sit down at the picnic table and start eating your food did they? At a public park I would not presume to have privacy.

I would guess that the mother gave no thought to it whatsoever. If she did think about it maybe she thought, "Oh, here are a few people I'll be near them in case something happens."

 

[Planogirl]

I would have chosen to go another way because I'm private myself. However, unless they were right at the table, I kind of expect people to be all around at a park.

 

[Jaime4004]

I wouldn't have given a second thought to the couple. It's a public park... I'm sure the mother didn't think about intruding, was just enjoying the park with her kids.

 

[MIGrandma]

I'm sure the mother didn't think about intruding, was just enjoying the park with her kids.

She must have thought about it, because she said "sorry" when they got close to the table.

 

[ccgirl]

I wouldn't think of it as an intrusion if it was a public park. If I truly wanted to be alone with my DH I wouldn't have gone to a public place. I would make no assumption of privacy if I went to a public place. Just my two cents.

 

[Hannathy]

I would have went to another place. This is similar to the families that walk in the smoking areas and then complain about the smokers.

Common courtesies people !

 

[okeydokey]

What were they doing that required privacy? In a public park I would have no thoughts that they were entitled to a section of a park for just the two of them.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I would have left the couple alone. Obviously they were there to steal away a few quiet moments alone together so why on earth would someone knowingly invade that tranquility with a 3 generation clan? Just because something isn't illegal doesn't mean it's ok... people can be so selfish sometimes.

 

[tink20]

If I was the mother with the kids, and I noticed this couple and if it were obvious to me that they wanted to be alone. I would go elsewhere. On the otherhand, I am one of those people who aren't very observant (I always say, I would make a terrible witness), so she may have not picked up on the fact the couple wanted to be alone.

 

[MickeySP]

Unless there was something very specific about that section, I would have given them a little room.

 

[Orange County Girl]

No, sounds like there was plenty of room to roam and I would have kept some distance so as not to interrupt their lunch.

This reminds me of a few weeks ago when I took my daughters to a movie. We were the only people in the theater, and were sitting in the back/top row. A woman entered the theater and came up the stairs and sat in the chair directly in front of my daughter. I thought it was so strange.

 

[java]

Well it's a park- so it's public space. Would we do it- no but would I be mad if someone else did it probably not. I don't own the park.

 

[msjprincess]

I really don't understand how they were "intruding"?

If you want privacy a public park in the middle of the day probably isn't the best choice.

 

[MIGrandma]

No, sounds like there was plenty of room to roam and I would have kept some distance so as not to interrupt their lunch.

This reminds me of a few weeks ago when I took my daughters to a movie. We were the only people in the theater, and were sitting in the back/top row. A woman entered the theater and came up the stairs and sat in the chair directly in front of my daughter. I thought it was so strange.

I had that happen to me once before too. I was alone, sitting in the back row right by the aisle. A couple came in. Chose the row right in front of me. The woman gave me an apologetic look as she went in front and sat in the seat in front of me but down one. The guy she was with sat directly in front of me. I'm 5' tall. He was well over 6' tall. And had a hat on. I could not see the screen. I sat there for a minute thinking what an idiot he was, and then considered moving. There was nobody else in the theater but myself and this couple. But then I decided no, I was there first and they had their pick of all the other seats. So I just tapped him on the shoulder and said "could you move down one so I can see?" He was all apologetic, like he didn't see me sitting there when they came in, and did move down a couple spaces. But good grief. Who chooses to sit directly in front of someone else in an empty movie theater?

 

[Jennasis]

This kind of stuff happens to me a lot. While I try to tell myself I am not the center of the universe, you'd think I was...complete with my own gravitational pull! People just seem to need to hang around me, especially when I'm alone. Movie theatres, beaches, parks, restaurants...

Maybe I AM the center of the universe?

 

[MIGrandma]

This kind of stuff happens to me a lot. While I try to tell myself I am not the center of the universe, you'd think I was...complete with my own gravitational pull! People just seem to need to hang around me, especially when I'm alone. Movie theatres, beaches, parks, restaurants...

Maybe I AM the center of the universe?

I know! I like having space, and get annoyed when it's intruded upon when there are plenty more spaces the other people can go!!

I wouldn't intrude on anyone's space in a park, movie theater, anywhere...if the place is otherwise empty.

Now when it's crowded, I know I'm not going to have my own space so I either suck it up and deal with it (as in a crowded movie theater) or I go somewhere else.

But when a park (and a huge one at that) is so empty I wouldn't dream of invading the space of a couple at a secluded picnic table trying to enjoy their lunch together. I would enjoy a different area of the park and leave them to enjoy theirs.

 

[npmommie]

There is a large park by a lake. Lots of picnic tables scattered about, some very close to the lake. A playground is in the center. The park is completely empty except for one couple at a secluded picnic table having lunch. You have to go down a hill to get to this picnic table. You can't see it from most of the area in the park, except when standing on this hill. You can look down and see the picnic table clearly. As I said, the rest of the park was empty.

A mother with her two young children decide to walk right down beside the picnic table to look at the water. The kids are running back and forth directly in front of the picnic table. They stay several minutes. Then the grandmother comes down to take a couple pictures of her daughter and kids by the water. Obviously they are intruding on this couple. There were several other areas they could have gone to, so the kids could look at the lake and run around and they could take their pictures.

If you were this mother with your two young children would you have walked down right beside the couple at the picnic table, or would you have chosen to go to another area by the lake?

I wouldn't say it is intruding. It is a public park, and if true privacy is needed it is not the place to go.

would I do it..........if I noticed the couple, probably not, and NOT because I wouldn't want to intrude on THEM...........but because I would prefer to be away from other people myself!
so it would be for myself that I would avoid them.

 

[tlbwriter]

You have to go down a hill to get to this picnic table. You can't see it from most of the area in the park, except when standing on this hill.

So it sounds like I would have to climb this hill before I could see the picnic table? If so, once I climbed that hill, I probably wouldn't have wanted to drag the kids down it and then go to a different area. Once I've climbed a hill, I'm committed. Otherwise, yes, I would have avoided them, but I wouldn't really consider it "intruding" on them to be in the same area of a public park. Maybe they like that area.