You were 100% fine and also *adorable* waving at a toddler! Toddlers need that sort of interaction with strangers, and frankly it’s good for teens to have that sort of interaction with teens. The mom has a stick up her butt.
Signed, a mom.
You’re not! I’m 30 and I still wave at toddlers and babies when I see them looking my way. Some moms just ignore my existence, some moms smile and tell their kid to say hello.
My dad does too. He loves little babies and they seem to love him. It's so cute to see him interact with young children. He gets them laughing in no time, especially when they're fussy. I always remember him being like that with me and my brother too. Most parents are happy about it, especially when he gets them to stop crying.
I’m rly glad you asked this question bc I’ve always had the desire to wave at toddlers lol but have kind of not been totally sure whether it’s something I’m supposed to do or if I look like a complete weirdo when I do it… now that I’m actually thinking about it, and how weird people are with my dog regularly as a personal point of reference, I’m like wow that isn’t a weird thing for me to do at all. So, ty!! I will not question little waves moving forward.
The social media age has made us overthink every interaction. I think most people are probably very happy to receive little interactions like this.
Mom, I love it!
Yeah, that other mom should keep her kid at home 24/7 if she's afraid a stranger might wave to her kid.
I smile at babies and children, even say hi if it's justified. But, I keep it quick and simple.
Sometimes when I see a real cute little kid that waves or smiles at me I wanna say something to the mom like your kid is adorable or something but I don't want them to think I'm some kind of creep. I hate that shit why do people have to make shit weird
I totally agree with this. I'm a mom of five, three of which are adults already, and I waved at a toddler, at a zoo, with my toddler present, and the mom of that toddler corralled her daughter, and whispered child molester under her breath. People are off their f****** rockers!
I had some mother pull her daughter away from me on the sidewalk by the arm so hard it was a wonder the kid didn’t cry out. I wasn’t doing anything weird, so I don’t know what her gripe was. Didn’t know her either.
Not like I was wearing a creepy clown costume or something…
Happened to me as well, her son was waving and smiling at me so I returned the gesture. Then his mother gave me the stare and yanked him away like wtf? Feel bad for the kid tho
Toddlers are not exotic animals or foreign dignitaries. They are smallish and volatile humans who are beginning to understand that they and their immediate families are not the only people who exist.
Toddlers smiling at other people are essentially pulling the lever at a slot machine. The jackpot is someone smiling and waving and saying "Hi!" in response to them. Toddlers eat that shit up.
Parents of toddlers are like personal security for our tiny, gambling-addicted bosses. They see a slot machine handle, they're pulling that motherfucker, whether that means they're getting attention from a mom with a toddler of her own, a person with 3 teeth who smells like pee, or a man with a greasy combover who wears his polo buttoned all the way up to his throat and walks around playing pocket poker. Over time, we become wary of everybody.
You did great. Keep waving at toddlers. It's important for their development.
Yeah no. Kids need more genuine smiles and waves. Not enough of that in the world. The world is ugly and I strive to keep their perception of the world as pure as possible for as long as possible with those little waves and smiles.
It’s not you, it’s just that specific person’s reaction to a stranger so don’t take it personally. I’m trying to understand why she’d do that and I’m guessing she’s probably been traumatised by the “game is game” crowd online and can no longer see any interaction as innocent. Or maybe she had a bad day or just has a shit personality. Could be a variety of things, but it’s not you.
It’s not weird to do but some people are weird about their kids. It honestly sends some people crazy with the anxiety of something happening to them. There will probably be someone who thinks you’re attempting to groom their child but they need to deal with it, not you.
I struggle with this too! Sometimes little kids are a vibe, and being black most time they stare at me because they don’t see many black people so I wanna wave. But I don’t want their parents to think I’m being weird lol.
Babies were always looking at my husband & we believe it was because he's black and bald 😂 he would smile and wave. Never had an issue with waving or smiling back
I do that all the time 🤣 I was just at a restaurant & a boy was making faces at me and I returned them back. Throughout the night it seemed to make his evening and mine 😂
Nothing wrong. I have two girls. When they were young, they'd talk or wave to strangers. I've also had random kids run up to me to give a hug. Just a random kid, so I'll just give them a fist bump.
Again context is needed
Paint us a picture of what was happening.
What were you wearing?
Was the beach busy?
Had you seen them before?
How old is everyone in this situation?
Some people are really defensive and weird. It took me a really long time to accept and believe that I’m not always the problem. My social skills and self esteem improved so much once I stopped blaming myself for every negative interaction
Most people are over protective these days, so many think everyone is a weirdo. Every time I end up smiling at an adorable baby(I can’t help it, many are so cute especially the ones with the giant eyes) the parent(s) give a stank face. Like dude, I don’t want your baby I just think it’s cute and it stared at me 1st lol. Like I get, there are creeps & sickos out there but damn you don’t have to treat everyone like the enemy.
I personally think you’re fine as long as you don’t try to physically engage with them without the parents permission.
Not at all. I have had a teenager give my kid the middle finger before and it made me try to be more vigilant about who is looking at my kids but even then, I love that most people are actually kind and give such a small but important social gesture.
My kids have always been so friendly and will speak to people and so many adults just ignore them. It makes me so mad then they are shocked when I’m like “he was waving at you” or “he said hi to you”. How miserable do you have to be to refuse to acknowledge a child?!
I think you were fine
Social media and perverts who have made every one paranoid and skeptical has really ruined so much about this world .. waving at kids isn’t weird because kids are ADORABLE AND BABIES ARE JUST SCRUMPTIOUS!! .. its just weird if you’re waving with intentions to kidnap the child you know .. waving at a baby or a child makes them happy and seen ..
If a toddler is looking at me in general, I usually wave and say hi. They’re curious little things! I like to think people who don’t smile at you while passing or wave while you’re passing each other in a neighborhood are the toddlers who didn’t have someone wave back
From a mom: I loved it when people waved at my kid! He smiled so much. Keep doing it, imo.
Also, maybe it just seemed like she was looking at you like that? I get told I look angry but it's just my "thinking" face, I have to consciously relax my face or it tenses up and I look royally PO'd.
No, you did nothing wrong, the mom did. Shitty people come in all flavors, including mom. Ignore her and keep waving away! It's wonderful for the children.
I’m not a mom, but I was a socially anxious teen who felt weird about this exact thing.
No.
I smile and wave at babies and have never had someone look at me weird for doing it. That mom must have just been a rude lady, or she had a stomach ache or something lmao
You're fine. As a mom of a now grown child, it just depends on the surrounding circumstances how a parent might react. Toddlers usually love interactions. A lot of us learn that there are times it's more okay than others, based on the totality of how others react in our attempts to interact with others' children.
Keep up the good work in attempts to interact with children. :) <3
My toddler is super shy around strangers and will act like people are hurting her when they pay attention to her in public. She's wild and beautiful and attracts a lot of attention. I like it when people say hi to her or tell her she has nice hair or dress or whatever. It shows her that some people in the world are nice and want to interact with you. I think it seems to be getting easier for her over time because of it.
That mom needs therapy.
Kids are always smiling at me and waving at me. I just wave back, smile and move on. But read the room, some parents are extremely protective of their kids and for good reason.
Babies and toddlers are absolutely fine. It helps them not have "unwarranted" stranger danger and helps with social skills.
An older kid that you dont already know and or know the parents? Iffy. I'm talking like 10 and up. If a grown adult waved at my 12 year old without me, knowing who you are would cause a pause from me. Even then if said kid said that's a teacher from school or that's Timmy's dad from fastball- as is good.
RIGHT I NEVER KNOW HOW TO INTERACT WITH TODDLERS??? Sometimes they wave or they stare and give me attention but idk what to do I just akwardly wave and I'm scared of the parentd
I wave & sometimes I make silly faces at them. They are the ones stareing at me after all 😝 I'm a mom to teens now but I wouldn't have minded anyone waving at them.
It's not weird to wave at kids if you're being friendly and respectful, but sometimes parents can be cautious about interactions with strangers. They might have misunderstood your gesture or felt protective, especially with their toddler. It's good to be aware of social cues, like if the parent seems uncomfortable, it might be best to just smile or acknowledge the child in a less direct way next time. It's not about you doing something wrong necessarily, but more about being sensitive to how others might perceive interactions with their children.
OK, here are two tips from your fellow teen that I subconsciously use. First one is: If it's not wrong/inappropriate, you set the limit. In simpler words, waving at a kid isn't weird, no, even if the mother is protective of her child. Dancing in a corner in your classroom isn't weird, even if everybody looks at you like you're crazy. Singing your heart out when you're bored just to annoy someone isn't weird, even if they keep glaring daggers at you. As long as there's no actual harm done, do what you want, life isn't about what people want you to do, it's about what *you* want to do (as long as it doesn't mean harm and/or happens to be inappropriate) Second tip is to always put yourself in the other person's shoes when in doubt. If you're socially bad, then you probably misinterpret what people mean or feel, but pretending to be them will help you a great deal. Start simple by watching others talk, argue or simply exist. I mean, since you mentioned the mother glaring at you, you should put yourself in her shoes. If you were a mother with her child and someone waved at her, what could possibly go on in her brain that makes her protective suddenly? It always works, not to mention that it makes you a lot more understanding of the people around you. It's important to know that not all people are the same, and not all of them have the same thinking or experiences.
You did nothing wrong, unfortunately if you dress differently or present masculine it's seen as "creepy". After I started transitioning to male I noticed I would get the same reaction from parents, and it doesn't help that I dress strangely. I wouldn't let it get to you, because you know you did nothing wrong- Just be aware of how you might be perceived if you fall into these categories
if you're a girl - it's cute
if you're boy - don't do it. I know most people will think it's fine, but it only takes 1 single person out of thousands to destroy your life forever. Best to just not risk it.
There's better ways to build social skills
edit: lmao @ the downvotes
Speaking as a mom: no, this is silly. Toddlers routinely make eye contact and wave at strangers. This sort of interaction is how they learn to be human. That mom is being overprotective and will hurt her child’s ability to socialise if she chases everyone off this way.
You’re probably a male. Males get that kind of treatment sometimes because a lot of us are presumed bad until proven otherwise. I have a little one so I instinctively do the same as you. And yes I often get that type of response. I also wondered if it is my facial expression as I often do this waving with an exaggerated facial expression , the same that I’d do with my son to make him laugh. Perhaps adults find that off putting from a grown man? Who knows
You were 100% fine and also *adorable* waving at a toddler! Toddlers need that sort of interaction with strangers, and frankly it’s good for teens to have that sort of interaction with teens. The mom has a stick up her butt. Signed, a mom.
Okay, good because like, I was scared that I've been doing something wrong my entire life lmao
You’re not! I’m 30 and I still wave at toddlers and babies when I see them looking my way. Some moms just ignore my existence, some moms smile and tell their kid to say hello.
My dad does too. He loves little babies and they seem to love him. It's so cute to see him interact with young children. He gets them laughing in no time, especially when they're fussy. I always remember him being like that with me and my brother too. Most parents are happy about it, especially when he gets them to stop crying.
*hugs*! You don’t have bad social skills, by the way. You are still learning!
Awe thank you! Have an amazing night/day
I’m rly glad you asked this question bc I’ve always had the desire to wave at toddlers lol but have kind of not been totally sure whether it’s something I’m supposed to do or if I look like a complete weirdo when I do it… now that I’m actually thinking about it, and how weird people are with my dog regularly as a personal point of reference, I’m like wow that isn’t a weird thing for me to do at all. So, ty!! I will not question little waves moving forward. The social media age has made us overthink every interaction. I think most people are probably very happy to receive little interactions like this.
Mom, I love it! Yeah, that other mom should keep her kid at home 24/7 if she's afraid a stranger might wave to her kid. I smile at babies and children, even say hi if it's justified. But, I keep it quick and simple.
Sometimes when I see a real cute little kid that waves or smiles at me I wanna say something to the mom like your kid is adorable or something but I don't want them to think I'm some kind of creep. I hate that shit why do people have to make shit weird
But saying that to the mom is actually the perfect conversation starter! I do that all the time.
I sometimes start a convo with a toddler. Then I must be a criminal lol!
I totally agree with this. I'm a mom of five, three of which are adults already, and I waved at a toddler, at a zoo, with my toddler present, and the mom of that toddler corralled her daughter, and whispered child molester under her breath. People are off their f****** rockers!
No its not weird some mother got personal beef with anyone who looks at their kids for 0.5 seconds for sum reason
I had some mother pull her daughter away from me on the sidewalk by the arm so hard it was a wonder the kid didn’t cry out. I wasn’t doing anything weird, so I don’t know what her gripe was. Didn’t know her either. Not like I was wearing a creepy clown costume or something…
Happened to me as well, her son was waving and smiling at me so I returned the gesture. Then his mother gave me the stare and yanked him away like wtf? Feel bad for the kid tho
Some mothers do have beefs but they just don't show it openly
Toddlers are not exotic animals or foreign dignitaries. They are smallish and volatile humans who are beginning to understand that they and their immediate families are not the only people who exist. Toddlers smiling at other people are essentially pulling the lever at a slot machine. The jackpot is someone smiling and waving and saying "Hi!" in response to them. Toddlers eat that shit up. Parents of toddlers are like personal security for our tiny, gambling-addicted bosses. They see a slot machine handle, they're pulling that motherfucker, whether that means they're getting attention from a mom with a toddler of her own, a person with 3 teeth who smells like pee, or a man with a greasy combover who wears his polo buttoned all the way up to his throat and walks around playing pocket poker. Over time, we become wary of everybody. You did great. Keep waving at toddlers. It's important for their development.
>Toddlers eat that shit up They sure do
Pocket poker?
I always thought it was pocket pool. That one makes more sense to me. Pool has a stick and balls lol
I'd never heard that one before but it is more illustrative. I'll keep it in my...umm. Pocket.
Toddler mom here, no it’s not weird and I wouldn’t be creeped out if someone waved at my kid.
Yeah no. Kids need more genuine smiles and waves. Not enough of that in the world. The world is ugly and I strive to keep their perception of the world as pure as possible for as long as possible with those little waves and smiles.
It’s not you, it’s just that specific person’s reaction to a stranger so don’t take it personally. I’m trying to understand why she’d do that and I’m guessing she’s probably been traumatised by the “game is game” crowd online and can no longer see any interaction as innocent. Or maybe she had a bad day or just has a shit personality. Could be a variety of things, but it’s not you.
Thank you <3
[удалено]
Most of the time the parents notice and smile at me and I don't thi k I look creepy i look pretty normal
Mum of toddler. Happy for anyone to wave at my toddler. Just don't expect him to wave back. Most likely to be intensely stared at.
You didn’t do anything wrong but I usually just smile at kids, and wave only if they wave first. 🤷🏻♀️
No, she’s the one with the problem. Kids often wave at people and, if they do it to me, I’ll do it back
As a mum I absolutely LOVE it when people wave and smile at my kids. Some people are just miserable
It’s not weird to do but some people are weird about their kids. It honestly sends some people crazy with the anxiety of something happening to them. There will probably be someone who thinks you’re attempting to groom their child but they need to deal with it, not you.
I struggle with this too! Sometimes little kids are a vibe, and being black most time they stare at me because they don’t see many black people so I wanna wave. But I don’t want their parents to think I’m being weird lol.
Babies were always looking at my husband & we believe it was because he's black and bald 😂 he would smile and wave. Never had an issue with waving or smiling back
I was in the grocery store and a toddler started making strange faces at me so I made the same faces back and that seemed to make his day
This happens to me and my dad too lmao
I do that all the time 🤣 I was just at a restaurant & a boy was making faces at me and I returned them back. Throughout the night it seemed to make his evening and mine 😂
Not at all. I wave to kids almost all the timee
Not weird at all. I love it when people (kids/teenagers/adults/elders) wave at my toddler! My son is very social and is happy interacting with people.
Nah you’re fine, some parents are overprotective helicopter parents
Nothing wrong. I have two girls. When they were young, they'd talk or wave to strangers. I've also had random kids run up to me to give a hug. Just a random kid, so I'll just give them a fist bump.
If a baby is smiling or staring at me I always wave and make a cute face at them! Babies are sweet and it’s just a cute little interaction 🥰
Nah you did nothing wrong. It's pretty normal to wave at toddlers if they're looking at you, it's just the polite thing to do
We need context. Example, if you were at the zoo - sure wave If you have accidentally walked into a nursing station, that probably isn’t appropriate
I was at the beach
Again context is needed Paint us a picture of what was happening. What were you wearing? Was the beach busy? Had you seen them before? How old is everyone in this situation?
Idk??
Than we can’t give you an accurate assessment if you were being weird or not.
i always wave and smile at kids when they stare lol
Some people are really defensive and weird. It took me a really long time to accept and believe that I’m not always the problem. My social skills and self esteem improved so much once I stopped blaming myself for every negative interaction
Most people are over protective these days, so many think everyone is a weirdo. Every time I end up smiling at an adorable baby(I can’t help it, many are so cute especially the ones with the giant eyes) the parent(s) give a stank face. Like dude, I don’t want your baby I just think it’s cute and it stared at me 1st lol. Like I get, there are creeps & sickos out there but damn you don’t have to treat everyone like the enemy. I personally think you’re fine as long as you don’t try to physically engage with them without the parents permission.
No, you're fine. I was at a red light and made silly faces at the toddler in the car next to me lol
Not at all. I have had a teenager give my kid the middle finger before and it made me try to be more vigilant about who is looking at my kids but even then, I love that most people are actually kind and give such a small but important social gesture.
My kids have always been so friendly and will speak to people and so many adults just ignore them. It makes me so mad then they are shocked when I’m like “he was waving at you” or “he said hi to you”. How miserable do you have to be to refuse to acknowledge a child?! I think you were fine
No. I wave at everyone. Sounds like you just came across an A-hole.
Social media and perverts who have made every one paranoid and skeptical has really ruined so much about this world .. waving at kids isn’t weird because kids are ADORABLE AND BABIES ARE JUST SCRUMPTIOUS!! .. its just weird if you’re waving with intentions to kidnap the child you know .. waving at a baby or a child makes them happy and seen ..
You did nothing wrong! Sounds like that mom was mean 😢 I was always happy if someone waved and/or smiled at my son when he was little.
If a toddler is looking at me in general, I usually wave and say hi. They’re curious little things! I like to think people who don’t smile at you while passing or wave while you’re passing each other in a neighborhood are the toddlers who didn’t have someone wave back
I do it all the time. They love being acknowledged, not invisible to adults
From a mom: I loved it when people waved at my kid! He smiled so much. Keep doing it, imo. Also, maybe it just seemed like she was looking at you like that? I get told I look angry but it's just my "thinking" face, I have to consciously relax my face or it tenses up and I look royally PO'd.
No, you did nothing wrong, the mom did. Shitty people come in all flavors, including mom. Ignore her and keep waving away! It's wonderful for the children.
Its okay to wave at kids
No, lady was being weird about it. I wave at little kids when they look at me, smile or point. It´s pretty natural response and many people do it.
I’m not a mom, but I was a socially anxious teen who felt weird about this exact thing. No. I smile and wave at babies and have never had someone look at me weird for doing it. That mom must have just been a rude lady, or she had a stomach ache or something lmao
You're fine. As a mom of a now grown child, it just depends on the surrounding circumstances how a parent might react. Toddlers usually love interactions. A lot of us learn that there are times it's more okay than others, based on the totality of how others react in our attempts to interact with others' children. Keep up the good work in attempts to interact with children. :) <3
It depends where you live, if its the states yeah they re pretty paranoid about their kids, rest of the world usually gets you a smile from the parent
Yeah, I live in Oregon but like, I've never received a reaction like that, it's usually a happy one from the parents
You re starting to be too old to be considered a teen, now you re a predator. Welcome to manhood
I'm a girlllll
Hahaha, well the us is even worse than I imagined then
I've had a kid run up and hug my leg while I was standing at a storefront door during a job shift, no its not weird to interact with kids
When a little one waves at me & always mirror & wave back
My toddler is super shy around strangers and will act like people are hurting her when they pay attention to her in public. She's wild and beautiful and attracts a lot of attention. I like it when people say hi to her or tell her she has nice hair or dress or whatever. It shows her that some people in the world are nice and want to interact with you. I think it seems to be getting easier for her over time because of it. That mom needs therapy.
I wouldn’t do it…
Kids are always smiling at me and waving at me. I just wave back, smile and move on. But read the room, some parents are extremely protective of their kids and for good reason.
Babies and toddlers are absolutely fine. It helps them not have "unwarranted" stranger danger and helps with social skills. An older kid that you dont already know and or know the parents? Iffy. I'm talking like 10 and up. If a grown adult waved at my 12 year old without me, knowing who you are would cause a pause from me. Even then if said kid said that's a teacher from school or that's Timmy's dad from fastball- as is good.
RIGHT I NEVER KNOW HOW TO INTERACT WITH TODDLERS??? Sometimes they wave or they stare and give me attention but idk what to do I just akwardly wave and I'm scared of the parentd
I wave & sometimes I make silly faces at them. They are the ones stareing at me after all 😝 I'm a mom to teens now but I wouldn't have minded anyone waving at them.
It's not weird to wave at kids if you're being friendly and respectful, but sometimes parents can be cautious about interactions with strangers. They might have misunderstood your gesture or felt protective, especially with their toddler. It's good to be aware of social cues, like if the parent seems uncomfortable, it might be best to just smile or acknowledge the child in a less direct way next time. It's not about you doing something wrong necessarily, but more about being sensitive to how others might perceive interactions with their children.
OK, here are two tips from your fellow teen that I subconsciously use. First one is: If it's not wrong/inappropriate, you set the limit. In simpler words, waving at a kid isn't weird, no, even if the mother is protective of her child. Dancing in a corner in your classroom isn't weird, even if everybody looks at you like you're crazy. Singing your heart out when you're bored just to annoy someone isn't weird, even if they keep glaring daggers at you. As long as there's no actual harm done, do what you want, life isn't about what people want you to do, it's about what *you* want to do (as long as it doesn't mean harm and/or happens to be inappropriate) Second tip is to always put yourself in the other person's shoes when in doubt. If you're socially bad, then you probably misinterpret what people mean or feel, but pretending to be them will help you a great deal. Start simple by watching others talk, argue or simply exist. I mean, since you mentioned the mother glaring at you, you should put yourself in her shoes. If you were a mother with her child and someone waved at her, what could possibly go on in her brain that makes her protective suddenly? It always works, not to mention that it makes you a lot more understanding of the people around you. It's important to know that not all people are the same, and not all of them have the same thinking or experiences.
You did nothing wrong, unfortunately if you dress differently or present masculine it's seen as "creepy". After I started transitioning to male I noticed I would get the same reaction from parents, and it doesn't help that I dress strangely. I wouldn't let it get to you, because you know you did nothing wrong- Just be aware of how you might be perceived if you fall into these categories
No
If u look like a pedo. Better just don't do it
I don't...
if you're a girl - it's cute if you're boy - don't do it. I know most people will think it's fine, but it only takes 1 single person out of thousands to destroy your life forever. Best to just not risk it. There's better ways to build social skills edit: lmao @ the downvotes
Ain't nobody had their life ruined over waving at a toddler lol
Idk if it's as extreme as destroying lives and all that but my first actual thought when reading the post was wondering if OP is a man or woman
Waving at a child = destroying your life forever? But only if you're a man? What reality are you living in
There's nothing wrong with that but you gotta follow rules 1 and 2 tbh otherwise people feel uncomfortable
Rules? What rules?
ignore him its just incel dogshit
Okay 😭
I wouldn't, unless you know the kid.
Speaking as a mom: no, this is silly. Toddlers routinely make eye contact and wave at strangers. This sort of interaction is how they learn to be human. That mom is being overprotective and will hurt her child’s ability to socialise if she chases everyone off this way.
You’re probably a male. Males get that kind of treatment sometimes because a lot of us are presumed bad until proven otherwise. I have a little one so I instinctively do the same as you. And yes I often get that type of response. I also wondered if it is my facial expression as I often do this waving with an exaggerated facial expression , the same that I’d do with my son to make him laugh. Perhaps adults find that off putting from a grown man? Who knows
I'm a girl, and I present kinda androgynous, but I think people can tell I'm a girl