My daughter is the friendly sort. She happily waves at strangers in the supermarket, says hi to anyone listening, and is not deterred by the many who completely ignore her presence.
Yesterday, she blew a kiss at a man who lives in our building because he waved back a her. It's not the first time she blows kisses to a stranger; and it makes me wonder how she determines which people deserve that extra greeting. A lot of people actually do acknowledge her. There are even those who approach her with a hello first -- something she does not seem to like because she just looks at them with a disapproving face, as if to say "Did I say you could speak to me?"-- so, how does she measure who is worthy?
The woman managing the petting zoo was worthy. Two little boys and one adolescent girl at the mall were worthy. One of her daddy's new friends was worthy. That one neighbor was worthy.
I'm not sure I'll ever understand her system. I do know I have to watch her especially close when she approves of someone because once they get that seal of approval, they are no longer strangers in her eyes. They are just one more uncle, one more cousin, one more friend; and she'll follow them where ever they go.
Fortunately, it seems that as she gets older she is becaoming more wary of adults and only tends to follow children. (still not ideal, but preferable for now)-- I love that she's not shy, but in this evil world, a bit of reservation is necessary.
