Changed days

Witzend Talking of parks - In our case, we were three young girls of about nine or ten, walking up the wooded, grassy slope to our local rec. The man lying in the grass entertaining himself was the park keeper 😱 Two of us had no idea of what he was doing, but our friend enlightened us! He disappeared a few days later, presumably sacked. There were rumours about his replacement, who didn’t stay long…

AreWeThereYet - this is pretty similar to my experience (upthread) - but in our case, neither of us bothered to tell our parents.
We did laugh about him afterwards- and we did look our for him if we rode out that way.

When I was a child in Singapore my mother used to take us to the swimming pool at the local RAF base most days and there was a man there, one of the RAF offcers, I think, who used to enjoy joinng us children like some adults do, but he used to focus on me and pick me up in the pool to throw me further, but always held me close and I could feel --- well, I didn't know what hard between my legs.

I really felt uncomfortable about it, but didn't know what or why, so didn't tell my mother, but whenever he got into the pool, I got out and went to sit with her. He would come over to me to encourage me to come back into the pool, but I never went, and my mother never encouraged me.

He never showed any interst in my youger sister. I was long, thin and just pre-pubescent, whils she was younger and more 'cuddily' in shape

Many years later I mentioned it to my mother and she said that she had had a similar experience when she was a child, sent to collect her mother's medication from the doctor's surgery. He would sit her on his lap and give her a cuddle, which always made her feel uncomfortable. if I could have told her, she would have made sure that he did not come and bother us in the pool or out.

When I was about 10 two of my friends and I were flashed in the street. I was so naive I didn't realise what was happening and took no notice. One of my friends flew off the handle and chased him down the street yelling at him.

One friend told her parents who reported it to the police. My parents were contacted by the police and were furious that I hadn't told them, but in all honesty I hadn't given it much thought. We had a laugh about it when we next met up (by which time I was fully aware of what he had done) then it wasn't ever mentioned again. Can't say I ever thought about it or was upset about it. I think the over-riding feeling amongst us was 'Eww..yuck'.

There’s a bit in George Orwell’s ‘A Clergyman’s Daughter’ about a mentally retarded man among the hop pickers, who was habitually exposing himself, ‘but harmless’. There was a phrase he kept repeating to himself - ‘With my willy willy, with my willy willy…*
Presumably George Orwell had witnessed this during his research travels - somehow I can’t see him having made it up.

Apart from the bloke on a train who actually w*nked over my new shoes 🤮 - I’d been pretending to be asleep in order to avoid his attentions, the only one I ever saw charged out of some scrubby woodland near my parents’ house, grubby open raincoat flapping! He was in a great hurry, presumably having just ‘done the deed’…

I did hear of an older woman who was accosted in her local park. Supremely unflappable, she apparently said, ‘Come along and show it to the park keeper.’
I doubt you’d ever find a park keeper now!

Out horse-riding with a friend as older girls we were flashed and saw it as a bit of fun to chase him into a thicket.

We both found it ridiculous.
The horses were both fast and lively... I think he must have been scared to be truthful.

We were not scared or worried though - I do remember it quite clearly however.
🏇🏇

Floradora9

On a lighter note a friend's daughter saw a flasher and was being interviewed by the police . After a few questions she was asked what colour of eyes the man had. " Well " the little girl said " I do not know I was not looking at his eyes ".
She , luckily , got over this incident .
Another flasher was putting his penis through letter boxes . One neighbour remarked that she knew it was not her husband's as she was sure she would have recognised it .

The letterbox flasher may have a hard time if it today, a postman reportedly lost a finger when a letterbox snapped shut on it, and some have those really hard bristles.
Though tbh it would have served him right.

When my mum and dad first started courting they were walking through a park after dark on the way home from the cinema when a man walking towards them promptly flashed at them before hurriedly walking on. They were both so young and inexperienced that they just felt embarrassed about it so walked on together without saying a word about it.
I suppose it was very much a different age, people just didn’t talk about it/brushed it under the carpet, whereas nowadays we are much more aware.

On a lighter note a friend's daughter saw a flasher and was being interviewed by the police . After a few questions she was asked what colour of eyes the man had. " Well " the little girl said " I do not know I was not looking at his eyes ".
She , luckily , got over this incident .
Another flasher was putting his penis through letter boxes . One neighbour remarked that she knew it was not her husband's as she was sure she would have recognised it .

Same with me and a friend when we were about 13. It was on a London bus and we both started laughing. The old perv got off at the next stop. As you say, they are dangerous but at that age we had no clue.

I was also on the common land behind my home when a man exposed himself to me.. I was about 9, I don't remember even telling my parents.. I wasn't traumatised but I do remember it..

I was subject to a couple of “exposes” in my childhood.

I was with my friend for one in our very early teens, she peered at him and said “is that it” and he beat a hasty retreat.

Neither of us were traumatised and did laugh, but were too naive to understand how dangerous these perverts can be and we just laughed!

He probably should not have been out and about. The local "bobby" should have been involved and sorted it out with the man's family. Probably would then have been placed in a home. More than a prison. Possibly none of the children would have been traumatised as they were in a group. And some found it funny.
The very dangerous and traumatising situations would be with family members...the grandad or over friendly uncle or family friend. The teacher or doctor, scout leader or vicar. People who children should be able to trust.

Sago

There is strong evidence that the kind of men who “flash” go on to commit crimes of a sexual nature.
The “poor soul” was a pervert.

Exactly. I know these things were often just laughed off back in the day - but thankfully now we are more informed and know that these perverts may often start off by 'flashing', but often go on to commit more serious offences.

A man who exposed himself to children could be dangerous. The police should have been informed.

Yes he was.

There is strong evidence that the kind of men who “flash” go on to commit crimes of a sexual nature.
The “poor soul” was a pervert.