A mum says her uncle's 'overly touchy' behaviour towards her children makes her 'uneasy' but worries she is overreacting.
The woman took to social media to ask fellow mums for advice after becoming increasingly concerned about her uncle's inappropriate behaviour.
The mum says she has daughters and nieces under the age of five and says the man - who is her uncle by marriage - feels uncomfortable with his creepy behaviour.
She says he asks to change the girls' nappies and insists on 'proper' hugs.
The mum also says when he does hug the children he makes comments like "be careful where you touch I don't want to be arrested".
Posting on Mumsnet, the woman said: "Has anyone experienced a family member being overly touchy with their children?
"An uncle by marriage always hugs my daughters and nieces weirdly close and insists on 'proper' hugs goodbye. Always freaks me out as it's on more than one occasion and in some cases when he will see them again the next day so there's really no need for it.
"Blood relatives don't do this with them but with him there's always this big deal hello and goodbye involving a close, long hug.
"AIBU? I just feel uneasy but no proof it's untoward and I know how serious it would be to say this out loud if it's innocent so I don't know what to do. The kids are aged 0-5.
"Few things I've found odd in recent times include
- insisting on massive hugs twice
- actually saying out loud 'be careful where you touch I don't want to be arrested' during a hug
- volunteering quite loudly to change one of their nappies (just find this odd that a grown man who isn't their dad would be so willing to do this when no one asked him to)
- offering to put on their shoes if leaving the house
"Writing this down I'm aware it's not all so bad but I just have a feeling. However also aware I could be overreacting a lot so just wanted thoughts."
However scores of mums were quick to advise the woman to speak out, agreeing that his behaviour was not normal.
One mum said: "If your instincts are telling you there’s something wrong, then you need to listen to them. You don’t necessarily need to cut off all access, but make absolutely sure that he never has the opportunity to be alone with your children."
Another agreed: "Trust your instincts. Keep your DD safe. Keep her well away from this man."
Another said it was "very wrong", adding: "This all sounds very wrong. Trust your instincts and protect your children. I would start telling him loudly that you do not force your children to hug people if they don't want to - bodily autonomy etc. NEVER let him change their nappies, and NEVER leave them alone with him, even for a minute."
Another mum warned: "Trust your instincts. The kind of people who do this ARE our brothers, uncles, cousins etc."
One mum urged her to speak up: "Sounds awful to me. Keep him at arms length. If he makes comments about getting arrested again or similar, just say 'I think that's inappropriate' or 'that's a strange thing to say about a child'
"See how he reacts when you don't simply accept his unusual behaviour.
"Trust your instincts and teach your children about what to do if anyone makes them feel uncomfortable ASAP."
Another mum said he was "creepy".
She said: "Very, very creepy. Listen to your gut. Every time. I'm one of those parents who never insisted on kissing/hugging of anyone in the wider family. I never liked it as a kid It has never been an issue though. He would give me the real creeps."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
