As a parent, I see the intent there more as Parent &gt; Non-Parent, rather than woman &gt; man.<p>If your child has a problem, chances are another parent will already have on their mind ways to help, or things they might need (water, band-aid, phone to call mom, change of pants), and at the very least might be inclined to help them more than others might be.  They may be more likely to recognize child-related issues (&quot;Bumped your head? let&#x27;s check your eyes ...&quot;) than non-parents, simply because thinking about precautions, worst-case scenarios, and the like are something parents have to consider.<p>I never used to think about how to find the bathroom in a store, for example, as proactively as I now do once I have kids, and never used to carry water and snacks with me wherever I went.  Nowadays I effectively carry emergency water, food, wipes, band-aids, and a change of clothes when we go to the park.<p>This is not to say that non-parents are bad to ask for help -- far from it! Merely that kids, who often are already anxious around strangers, may be disarmed a little more easily by the fact that someone else is clearly a parent.