'Don't do that again!': A toddler's parents lost it at me for a simple act

“It's absolutely a normal interaction, and I reckon an important one. But they didn't see it like that."

Lauren Robinson

@L_Robinson96

2 min read

March 11, 2025 - 9:06AM

Dos and Don'ts: Understanding cafe etiquette

Parenting

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A woman’s seemingly innocent act has landed her in hot water with the parents of a toddler.

While out for a short walk, enjoying the sunshine, the 27-year-old passed by a little girl. She was perched in the boot of her parent’s car while they unloaded their belongings.

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"I heard some choice words"

“I could see the kid was clearly staring at me like kids do, so when I was close enough I smiled and waved. I also stopped for a second and said “hey” but kept on walking,’ she wrote in an online post.

Turns out the friendly act was a big mistake.

“Next thing, the mum and dad are flagging me down to say ‘hey don’t ever do that again!’” she explained.

The woman attempted to rationalise with them.

“I just said something like, ‘hey, didn’t mean anything by it’ and kept on walking. But I heard some choice words come out before I turned the corner,” she shared.

The woman has no children so she’s unsure what led to the reaction.

“I don’t really know the protocol or etiquette, but should I have just not engaged?” she asked.

“It got me nervous that I’d maybe crossed a line. I can fully understand parents being protective with their kids, but I didn’t exactly sprint across the street to high five a toddler.”

Image: iStock

"The most pure interaction we can have"

Commenters were universal in agreeing the woman didn't do anything wrong.

“Parents are weird. Usually when little kids stare I think it's almost etiquette to wave and say hi," one commenter wrote.

“It's absolutely a normal interaction, and in my opinion an important one,” another said reassuringly.

A third added: “I think it’s criminal when kids wave at people and they ignore them. Life is hard enough for all of us, waving at a kid is sort of the most pure interaction we can have.”

Others revealed their own experiences with their own friendly children.

“I have a baby who stares and smiles at everyone. So people smile back, wave, make faces at him,” one parent revealed.

Another fondly recalled: “When my kid got a little bigger he'd give strangers at the store a thumbs up, they'd do it too, and then he'd give a thumbs down. Stone cold. Very entertaining.”