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.
I feel too, like it's rare now to even see the sort of older adult being active with younger adults as a positive thing, even though it's the core of good mentorship. I've been blessed as an artist to have a lot of positive experiences and direction come from my artist elders.
Yeah. I feel like we've kind of thrown the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to discouraging potentially imbalanced not-romantic-or-sexual relationships. Mentorship is great! Intergenerational friendship is great!
You know, this is one reason I haven't worried as much about my AuDHD's kiddo's socializing because she doesn't care what anyone's age is, she just likes interesting people. And she has a wide array of adults in her life to relate to & be supported by along with kid interactions.
She is exceptionally open and kind to other kids of all ages and backgrounds. I've had so many parents come up to me at the park about this, that they can't believe she'll play with their much younger or also special needs child and that always breaks my heart.
