"Are you shy?"

I have to get this off my chest.Today in line at the grocery store, the man in front of us looked at my seven-year old daughter and said, "Are you shy?". Sometimes strangers try to start a conversation with her and if she doesn't respond the way they expect her to, they'll ask her if she's shy. That happens a lot. But that's not what happened this time. He just looked at her and asked her if she was shy.PSA: This is a stupid thing to say to a child and anyone else.No one owes you a conversation or a smile. Just because you think a kid is cute and you'd like to talk to them, doesn't mean they feel the same way about you. If they don't smile back or respond to your questioning, it doesn't mean they're shy. Kids are brutally honest. If they don't care to talk to you, they won't. If they want to talk to you, they will. They will talk a lot if that's what they want to do. Beautiful women don't have to smile at you. Stop telling women to smile. Cute kids don't have to talk to you. Stop telling them they're shy. Seriously, just STFU and stop being so demanding and needy towards perfect strangers. How comfortable would you be with a stranger approaching you and asking you personal questions apropos of nothing? Are you're gay? Are you a Mormon? Are you descended from Mongolian sheep-herders? Are you shy... How is that any of your business? And even if she were shy, how would pointing a spotlight on that help at all, perfect stranger? Jesus, just learn how to talk to people without being a bumbling asshole. And don't be an asshole to my kid and then expect me to smile and pretend she's "shy" so that you don't have to feel like the asshole you are. She's not shy. You saw a cute kid and you poked it. The cute kid didn't like being poked. People don't have to perform for you. Learn some fucking manners. via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2nbjCEG