Since when is men giving children compliments considered creepy? I mean seriously. I hear about this all the time on reddit but I must say it really doesn't match what I've experienced in real life.

I'm a 6'4'' pretty physically imposing guy, I just graduated high school and I'm an aspiring primary school teacher. I've volunteered at an infant's school for over a year with 5-7 year old kids, which has been awesome, and I've seen kids from my class out in public and yeah I go say hi to them and talk to them a bit, I've never once got told I was creepy or anything even remotely close to it.

All I've heard from anyone when I say I want to be a primary school teacher is how awesome that is and how with the lack of men in primary education it's good that I'm going into it because many children need positive male role models. I've got nothing but encouragement from anyone I've told: friends, teachers, neighbours, colleagues, etc.

Not only this but I'm a swimming instructor for children as well, it was a pretty long process (for a job that doesn't require a uni degree) but I'm finally qualified and once again I've been told how great it is that I'm doing this and I've received nothing but encouragement, I was offered employment as soon as I was qualified and my bosses and coworkers have all been awesome. I get along really well with the kids and parents and even though physical contact with the kids often is necessary (to correct their technique in older kids and to basically prevent them from sinking with younger kids) all parties seem to understand that this is necessary and totally non-creepy in its intentions.

Even in actual playgrounds, I, a large dude not a parent to any of the kids, regularly walk in and sit down and kinda just chill, and while I won't go out of my way to talk to kids I will talk to any that how interest in communicating with me. I get very positive responses from both child and carer. I have never once been called creepy or treated like I was a creep for being around children, other people's personal experiences may be different but this is something I read about on reddit all the time and just hasn't rung true in my life.