“Still not over the American woman who was super surprised to see so many men walking around with strollers and generally looking after their children alone during her travels through the Nordic countries.”
Bolognese sauce: https://satwcomic.com/the-implication-of-that
This is a BS justification imo
Being alone with your own child is not considered suspicious. Hanging out alone with out a child at a playground sure. Having your own kid in your cart at the grocery store? Absolutely not
Here in Poland playgrounds are often extended with a public outdoor gym or something similar. That solves all problems, making them social centers for both child-free and parents.
E.g.
With fenced playground:
And no fence anywhere
Same thing in Australia. I love getting a quick workout whilst the kids play. The kids love the gym equipment as well.
Wait, I haven’t seen these outdoor gyms around in Sydney. Granted, I’m not paying close attention to playgrounds, in which cities have you seen them?
But that’s the problem. People here see grown man + child, come to a conclusion, and only accept evidence that reinforces it. It doesn’t matter if it’s your kid, there’s enough idiots that refuse to believe that that your child and you are now in danger.
Don’t buy too much into all the ragebait on the internet. I take my kid to the park all the time and no one has ever so much as looked at me sideways. And no other fathers solo-parenting their kids at the park have ever been accosted during the many, many hours I’ve spent there.
Yes, some idiots foolishly assume man+kid=danger, but this is not a typical reaction at all. People who react negatively and make a scene are an extreme minority.
Are you an American? Because that’s pretty common here.