A thing I like about Sesame Street is that adults are positively and proactively involved in the lives even of kids they're not related to. This is cool and should be normal--being good to kids and helping them grow up should be a whole society's responsibility.
IRL, so many people would treat it as sus if a dude like Alan helped host a campout for a group of kids and adults; but actually it's lovely and maybe we should normalize adults being kind to and engaged with kids.
We should teach both kids and adults what constitute healthy interactions in this context and what to look out for; but the broad concept of a supportive relationship between a child and an unrelated adult should not in and of itself be taboo.
A cpl of young girls used to live in my neighborhood. They would ride by my house & ask me questions about my hair, my dog, etc. One started coming by alone at times & would hang out with my dog & chat at me. Home life wasn't great (not abusive, just not ideal) I gathered.
She mentioned that she really liked coming over because my place was quiet & "janky" like hers. (We were out in the yard, not in the house). She eventually moved away. I think about how she's doing a lot & am glad I chose to spend that time with her.
I have so many unrelated kids in my life at this point. I'm convinced it's the reason I never became a parent. Somehow, I must have known there would be lots of kids who would want or need another adult to support them.
