Socially awkward?

[SamanthaSews]

What is more socially awkward?

My 2 yo saying "hi!" And waving in the face of older school aged kids at the library or the school aged kids not saying hi back & staring at him like he's weird? Even the librarian took a moment to say hi back... And while checking out ds said hi to a school aged boy & maybe got in his personal space & the boy then said "that was weird"

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[sisu]

I think both sound pretty normal for their ages.

[SamanthaSews]

Originally Posted by MarchMama2010 I think both sound pretty normal for their ages.

Yeah I guess so. I just thought it was pretty funny. Ds was trying so hard to get the kids to reply back. I had to distract him to get him away from these poor kids who didn't know what to do with this toddler in their personal space...

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[sisu]

Originally Posted by SamanthaSews Yeah I guess so. I just thought it was pretty funny. Ds was trying so hard to get the kids to reply back. I had to distract him to get him away from these poor kids who didn't know what to do with this toddler in their personal space... Sent from my iPhone using DS Forum

My son is the same way.

[wordbox]

haha, yeah, I think it's normal for all. My son is 2 and he loves older kids. A couple of weeks ago we were at a hotel for a wedding, and he was playing in the hallway and was trying to get the attention of some older boys who were staying at the hotel (probably around 7-8 years old?) and only one of them even acknowledged him. I'm sure some kids that age don't have much experience with younger kids (unless they have siblings or cousins that are younger that they're around), or they think they're too "cool" to talk to little kids, or whatever. I'm glad the one kid said hi to my son, though, he was trying so hard to talk to them!

[SaraElise]

Yep it all sounds normal. And not even just for ages, but personalities. My kids are SHY, not awkward, they interact with others, but if someone approaches them out of the blue they are sort of taken aback since it takes them a minute or two to warm up.

All 3 of mine would be those staring blankly, or completely looking away kids

[Kiliki]

Ok, I think the younger kid (your LO?) in this scenario is the normal kid and the one not responding is the awkward kid. In our society, the older kid will probably be viewed in the realm of "normal" but honestly, I think it's just a result of bad manners.

There is one little girl that my DD tries desperately to talk to, who just stares right through her everytime.... and it makes me so irritated and angry. And, no this little girl is not special needs, and yes, I DO know that for a fact. She's just rude.

I know all kids have their own personalities, but I really encourage my kids not to be rude. It doesn't' take much at all to just smile and wave back when someone is saying hello. You don't even have to verbally SAY hi. But don't stare at my kid like they are an alien b/c they are friendly and no one taught you any manners. Ugh. HATE that.

[Dmpmercury]

Yep it all sounds normal. And not even just for ages, but personalities. My kids are SHY, not awkward, they interact with others, but if someone approaches them out of the blue they are sort of taken aback since it takes them a minute or two to warm up. All 3 of mine would be those staring blankly, or completely looking away kids

This. It is normal for a 2 year old to not know personal space boundaries and normal for some children to not respond to an unexpected encounter with an unknown child who is younger. Some kids need time to warm up and have personal space boundaries. I wouldn't assume they had social issues or were awkward. We value extroversion but not all kids are extroverted and I don't think it is something that needs fixing. Shyness and introversion are not the same thing but it often goes hand in hand and not responding when something is unexpected or they didn't get a chance to process is normal for some.

[CarrieMF]

Ok, I think the younger kid (your LO?) in this scenario is the normal kid and the one not responding is the awkward kid. In our society, the older kid will probably be viewed in the realm of "normal" but honestly, I think it's just a result of bad manners.

Depends.

If the 2yo is near them and says hi and gets no response then yet it is bad manners.

If the 2yo is getting up in their faces and waving in their faces then it is weird to older kids, but normal for a 2yo. It is a teaching opportunity for what good manners/personal space look like. If someone gets in my personal space like that i can't say I'd be the most polite person.

[Kiliki]

Originally Posted by CarrieMF Depends. If the 2yo is near them and says hi and gets no response then yet it is bad manners. If the 2yo is getting up in their faces and waving in their faces then it is weird to older kids, but normal for a 2yo. It is a teaching opportunity for what good manners/personal space look like. If someone gets in my personal space like that i can't say I'd be the most polite person.

This could be true.

I suppose it also depends on the age difference. How old was the older kid?

I expect a 12-13 yr old kid to be old enough to know and realize and acknowledge that little kids don't know "right and wrong" social queues or personal space, and to respond accordingly. I don't expect a 7-10 year old to necessarily make that connection.

This touched my nerve, sorry. I have a big problem with kids being rude, and the OP's story reminded me of the little girl that my DD tries to talk to everytime we see her. (which is pretty often btw - a couple times a wk at least) So I am coming at it from a different angle.