My child is four years old and very sociable. He loves approaching people in public places—he might…

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My child is four years old and very sociable. He loves approaching people in public places—he might ask a question, show something, or tell a story. Most people find this adorable; they smile, laugh, and actively engage with him. Sometimes, his charming behavior even leads strangers to buy him things. For instance, a few days ago, a cashier at a 'Verny' store bought him some juice, and yesterday, a man at 'Vkusno i Tochka' purchased a kids' meal for him. Then, seeing me trying to steer him away from people (while I was placing an order, he approached three tables and started chatting), this man smiled at me and said, 'He's so sociable; you shouldn't stop him, it's such a good thing.' But not everyone enjoys this. There are those who don't want to listen to a four-year-old. I'm one of them; I just don't know how to talk to strangers' children. Even though the conversation always takes the lead, I still feel uncomfortable. So, where is the line between what's allowed and what isn't? Yesterday, my child asked me sadly, 'Mom, why do you make me sit here?' (when he wanted to interact with people). What should I do? Well, you can't forbid him from talking to everyone, otherwise, what would I be teaching him? But allowing him to talk to everyone seems like too much. And yes, by the way, he started speaking at 3.5 years old. Now, there's no stopping him 🥴
Как вторая и третья часть «Каштанового человечка»? Первая для меня была просто шедевром, на одном ды…
Comments
Anita
Apparently, you need to explain that you shouldn't talk to strangers.
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Elena
Only allow it in your presence. It will likely pass with age as they develop shyness. My middle child was like that at 4, but it passed.)
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Anastasiya
I simply forbade mine from doing that at the time because it's frankly unsafe. They can only interact with strangers in my presence, so I can hear every word and see every move. Yes, maybe it's paranoia, but I don't have spare kids
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Natalya
This isn't normal or safe behavior for a child either.
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Kristina
Anastasiya How can a 4-year-old communicate with someone without their mom present? I thought kids weren't allowed to go anywhere alone at age 4
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Marina
the reason is that it's dangerous. My daughter is also sociable. I forbade it and explained what could lead to it
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inga
Mine is a chatterbox too, but I don't let anyone treat him outside.
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Anastasiya
Anastasiya I think the post perfectly describes a situation where the child was interacting with at least three tables without mom while she was ordering. What questions do I have?!
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Svetlana
Mine also chats with everyone about everything. I'm lenient with this, I was the same way myself. You can tell people's mood, and when I see that someone isn't in the mood to chat, I just say that they shouldn't bother the person.
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Kristina
Anastasiya But Mom saw it all, so for me "in Mom's sight" doesn't mean "without Mom".
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Kristina
Rereading my message – I'm not forbidding communication, but I would forbid stepping away from mom, not standing close, holding hands after the command "stand close, hold hands."
There are plenty of stories where an unsociable person walked away and got lost; the problem isn't communication, it's something else.
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Ekaterina
Kristina He doesn't wander off alone. He'll ask if he can walk around the room, for example. Outside, he'll chat with whoever is standing or walking near us, while we wait for the elevator, in the elevator itself, and so on. He doesn't just leave without asking, no, he doesn't do that.
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Ekaterina
He walks. Well, he's hyperactive. After kindergarten, he goes to gymnastics until 8 PM, and even then, he's not tired at all.
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Kristina
Anastasiya A shy child wanders away from mom and is also snatched in seconds.
I was surprised the discussion shifted to "it's okay to interact in my presence, but not without it" because such a discussion implies that a situation where a 4-year-old hangs out without their mom is possible.
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Mariya Glebova
They're at an age where they don't see boundaries like we do, and interacting is fun for them. You need to explain that they can't wander off on their own, only holding your hand, as it's unsafe and they shouldn't have absolute trust in strangers, as it can be harmful.
Just the other day, my son was mesmerized by the toy claw machines while I was at the register a little ways off, but I kept a close eye on him. Then, two men and a woman approached and started trying to give him money to play. I called him over to me and told them, "Thank you, but I'm teaching my son to be cautious with strangers." They backed off. Honestly, it was strange.
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Anastasiya
Anastasiya Ugh... Because you can't do without me, right? If I place an order, it's already 'without me'. Running around McDonald's or any other place and bothering strangers while mom is at the counter is considered hanging out without mom, what's so hard to understand?!
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Kristina
My little star is the same sometimes, even a bit clingy. But I regularly remind her that talking to strangers is dangerous!!
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Kristina
Kristina I would say 'no' to his 'Can I walk around the hall?'
When I'm eating in a fast-food place like McDonald's, a 4-year-old wandering around and silently looking at you is also an unpleasant sight. The first thought is – where are his parents? Why did they let him wander?
And why do you forbid him to interact on the street/in the elevator where you hold his hand? Let him TRY, and it will quickly become clear whether people are happy to see him or not.
With my older son, it was funnier – he wanted to interact only with pretty girls, not at 4 years old, but at one or two. I remember we were walking in the park, I was holding his hand, a guy and a girl were sitting on a bench kissing. He looked at the girl and babbled something. I pulled him aside – it was clear without words that the girl was busy and didn't want to talk to anyone :)
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Kristina
Wow!
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Ekaterina
Anastasiya It's obvious the child doesn't go out alone to chat with people. He interacts in my presence, right next to me, so I naturally hear everything. For example, he does this with people at the next table, when we're waiting for the elevator, in the elevator, etc. The question is, could this make someone uncomfortable? There should be some boundary, but it's unclear where that line is.
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Ekaterina
Natalya I'm not asking about my child's behavior. The question is different
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Kristina
Anastasiya I don't understand why it's okay to run around McDonald's without bothering anyone – you can do it and not worry about someone snatching you away in a second.
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Ekaterina
Anastasiya You misunderstood. We were sitting at the table, I was ordering by phone, and he was moving to the nearest tables and talking to them.
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Anastasiya
Anastasiya Well, in my opinion, it's simple: don't bother strangers, period. It's just forbidden. Few adults would be happy about a stranger's child bothering them during a meal, but not everyone is ready to say "kid, leave me alone," so they just smile and answer, you understand. And it's one thing in an elevator, but it's another to approach three different tables while you're at the checkout. That's really not okay, forgive me for saying so.
If you want to socialize, go find other kids and chat to your heart's content. And you definitely shouldn't let every Tom, Dick, and Harry treat your child to something.
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Anastasiya
Anastasiya Who told you that you could?!
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Kristina
Anastasiya For me, the line is when the child is so far from me that I don't control the process. If you are nearby and they just started talking, you can already see from the expressions of the people around whether they are pleased or not. If not, you interrupt the child and redirect their attention to yourself.
Does he only reach out to adults? I remember – I met babies on playgrounds who were very sociable and would approach other children. But the other children didn't want to interact with them.
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Ekaterina
Anastasiya His children come first. If they are around, he goes straight to them. But there's no problem here, he's very sociable and integrates quickly.
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Natalya
Natalya This means you should ban and not give him any juices someone buys for him.
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