XOJane's Nicole Blades is determined that her son won't be as rude as grown-ups who can't even manage simple greetings.
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Over the last two months, I've been working with him to specifically improve his meet-and-greet tactics. I tell him — a few times over (look, the kid's 3) — that it's not polite to say nothing when someone says goodbye.
I tell him that the kind thing to do is respond with your own toodle-loo or, at the very least, a wave. I've given him this prompt often and we've made significant progress. In fact, on a recent road trip he thought it wise to peace-out to a restaurant with a cheerful, "Bye, Applebee's! I don't like you."
We'll work on diplomacy next month.
As I said, the little guy is three years old — a good excuse for most things — and still growing into being a gentleman. But how do you explain the folks long past toddlerhood, the hardback adults who go mute when met with a hello from a not-so-strange stranger?
Read Nicole Blades' entire piece at XOJane.
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