Curious Confrontation Pt. 2

The predation of Children is a team sport.

Trigger warning: Mentions of pedophelia. Strong language.

Part One of this story Here.

My mother (she/her) understands my request to leave the beach. As we gather our things, the family next to us resumes their own activities.

We knew we were walking in the same direction as the predatory adult, so my mom insisted she carry all the bags so my hands and feet could be free.

We understand our roles here.

As we walked past the family next to us, one parent was taking pictures of themselves on the beach and started joking with their partner:

“Could you please step aside so I don’t have an old man in my picture?”

I chime in, jokingly:

“Let me know if I need to talk to somebody!” ^.^

The entire family, especially their two children, start laughing. My heart smiled when I realized it was the young children who were laughing the loudest.

The other parent addresses me directly:

“You were right in what you did. That was the right thing to do. Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s wrong. I heard what that woman said and it doesn’t matter how many kids she has. She had no business talking to them boys like that. Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re wrong. You keep confronting people like that.”

At that point, I was holding back tears.

I hadn’t realized how much it got to me- the way That Person used themselves as a parent to make a point against me confronting their behavior.

I know I don’t have kids of my own.

But this one who witnessed my interaction is also a parent. And they were very clear:

“Don’t let anyone use themself being a parent as an excuse.”

Choked up with emotion, all I could do was nod to convey that I understood the assignment.

My mother and I continued our walk toward our vehicle. We still had a ways to go and, lo and behold, we began approaching That Person, the other adult in trunks, and 2 other friends.

Together there were 4 adults; two in bikini’s (including the one I confronted) and two in swim trunks (including the one who walked away when they realized I was approaching their friend about their behavior).

Both of the ones I saw earlier were seated next to each other. The second adult in swim trunks was following around the second adult in a bikini.

I could hear the 2nd one in bikini start yelling and swearing as we approached their encampment along the beach.

“MOTHER FUCKERS WANNA JUDGE PEOPLE BEFORE THEY GET TO KNOW THEM!”

They yell, pacing through the waves.

“BITCHES WANNA JUST WALK UP AND CALL SOMEONE A PEDOPHILE WITHOUT ANY PROOF!”

So much for all that gratitude for people like me who check on kids in the community.

The second adult in trunks was trying to calm them with cosmic truths and ancient wisdom:

“Sometimes people judge and there’s nothing we can do about that… We can’t allow other people to dictate our emotions.”

They said, also giving me a nervous smile.

From my quick assessment, here is what I gathered:

1. The first adult in swim trunks walked back and likely told the other two that their friend was being confronted on the beach because they were inappropriate with two children.

2. They also likely told them they did their best to get their friend to stop grooming those 2 kids.

3. The Person I confronted returned to the group and likely told them I called them a pedophile when:

   1. I did not.

   2. They just got done telling me they were “glad that there are people like me who check on kids in the community.”

The person I confronted wasn’t saying a single word as I approached. Only giving me a nervous smile. The first adult in trunks that I saw earlier had the same nervous smile.

The other one in the bikini, however, was fully amped up.

Of course, they were only amped up when I was not in striking distance from any of them.

Because as my mom and I approached, the one stopped yelling and swearing entirely.

Complete and utter silence.

From all of them.

We continued to walk by and, as we move away from where they were all seated, the one started yelling and swearing again.

“YEA KEEP WALKING BITCH!”

The one yelled.

At no one in particular.

Because I know I have never seen that person before, and I also know that they wait until I’m a good 9-10 feet away from them to start swearing and yelling around about “judging others”.

So I KNOW they can’t be talking to me.

I turn around to face them and watch all of their heads duck down, trying to hush the one from yelling toward {not me}.

That’s when I noticed for the first time the same two children from before were also walking much farther behind us along the beach.

I catch the eyes of That Person, who then realizes the same 2 kids are back and that I am watching That Person’s every move.

All of the adults refused to face me or even look in my direction.

I ask my mom to walk ahead of me with the bags and get everything in the car.

The one who insists on yelling and swearing about “judgemental people” started to loudly walk in my direction with a small bag of empty alcohol bottles. The second one in swim trunks scrambling behind still trying to dissipate their rage with esoteric knowledge:

“People believe what they want. We can’t do anything about that.”

As the enraged adult got closer to me, they immediately stopped yelling and swearing.

Again.

Complete and utter silence.

Again.

They both walked past me and up the boardwalk to throw their garbage away.

By this time, the two children were farther up the beach. I gave That Person one last look: daggers to the back of the head.

I then turned and started walking up the boardwalk, just as the other two adults were walking back down to return to the beach.

As we passed each other, the one in swim trunks was still giving me that same nervous smile.

I walked past the amped up adult. I could viscerally feel their anger repelling off of my auric field.

I maintained my satisfied and confident countenance as I looked through their entire Being to fix my gaze on my destination.

Understand this: Predators don’t exist in a vacuum. They are social engineers who intentionally curate and orchestrate an entourage of people who can provide them deniability, defend their character, or outright co-participate in their predatory behaviors.

We cultivate a social context that is based on consent and bodily autonomy.

We nourish healthy sexual development in young people into adulthood.

We embody and demonstrate through our words and actions what are healthy boundaries.

An adult who knows about or witnesses predatory behavior has a responsibility to confront and address this behavior.

This is the way.