Do Talk to Strangers

My son is in the habit of starting a conversation with anyone who dares ring our doorbell . Once he hears the bell, he careens towards the door and ambushes the person standing outside before they get the chance to say anything. The delivery guy, the electricity bill collector, or whoever, must then answer questions like: What did you bring? Do you want money? What are you wearing? Do you know that I peed in the toilet today? Do you know that Nazli cried at the hadana today? Do you know that Reham got me an aeroblane for my birthday?

This continues up until the guy has completed his mission, and sometimes even afterwards. He might have already reached the floor beneath us, but my son will still be manically calling out, “Where are you going ya 3ammu? Will you go home to brush your teeth and go to bed?”

And like any good mother, I do not let my son do things alone; I join in the conversation as well. Indeed, I encourage the conversation by prolonging the time spent looking for change so that he can finish his questions, or by telling off a delivery guy for not being impressed enough upon hearing my son’s toilet training achievements. Or even by reminding Son of something that happened that he forgot to tell said victim of the day.

Now, this is not about me wanting to offer my son an alternative outlet to his incessant chattering capabilities, and thus offer myself a respite from having to entertain his every waking minute – although the baffled, reluctant delivery guys surely seem to suspect this. I am merely being a good mother by teaching Dear Son to open up to the world and engage with whomever crosses his way/our doorstep – as long as it is under my supervision.  It is good for his conversation skills, and for his social skills and for just about all other skills in his life. That’s why it’s imperative that I set an example by doing the same.