j3n0va
Expert Member
TL;DR - How do I let this girl who is way younger (7 year age gap.. I'm 21) than me know that I'm not interested in an adult relationship with her?
I help out at a local center for kids every weekend. Most of the kids are between the ages of 3 and 15. I'm good friends with most of the kids and I really enjoy paying games and spending time with them.
But recently one of the young girls (13) has started displaying an unusual amount of affection to me. at first we (the adults) assumed that it was just a playful crush and that she'd move on before long, but she's just become more persistent over the last couple of weeks. Today was she was extremely bold and went further than before.
She started out by asking for my cellphone number when I arrived this morning, saying that it was in-case if she was ever in trouble so she could ask for my help. It's policy to not share phone numbers with the children for obvious reasons (Not everybody can be trusted. Even one of the people helping could be a predator
) later on she became physical, like hugging me randomly, climbing on me and general unwanted touching. at this point I asked her to stop because I feel that it's inappropriate, all things considered. I spoke to some of the other adults (including those in-charge of it all) and had her moved to a different group. So afterwards some of the other kids came to me and asked if she was my girlfriend. :erm:
I've experienced children having crushes on me before but this feels like it's going beyond an innocent child's experience. How do I let her know that it is inappropriate, or should I just stay away?
I help out at a local center for kids every weekend. Most of the kids are between the ages of 3 and 15. I'm good friends with most of the kids and I really enjoy paying games and spending time with them.
But recently one of the young girls (13) has started displaying an unusual amount of affection to me. at first we (the adults) assumed that it was just a playful crush and that she'd move on before long, but she's just become more persistent over the last couple of weeks. Today was she was extremely bold and went further than before.
She started out by asking for my cellphone number when I arrived this morning, saying that it was in-case if she was ever in trouble so she could ask for my help. It's policy to not share phone numbers with the children for obvious reasons (Not everybody can be trusted. Even one of the people helping could be a predator
) later on she became physical, like hugging me randomly, climbing on me and general unwanted touching. at this point I asked her to stop because I feel that it's inappropriate, all things considered. I spoke to some of the other adults (including those in-charge of it all) and had her moved to a different group. So afterwards some of the other kids came to me and asked if she was my girlfriend. :erm:I've experienced children having crushes on me before but this feels like it's going beyond an innocent child's experience. How do I let her know that it is inappropriate, or should I just stay away?
