My son, the friendly neighbor

First of all, let me apologize for going so long without a post.  Something strange was happening to Blogger every time I tried to log on last week.  Not able to log in=not able to post.  Very sad indeed.  So, here at last is the post that was supposed to be for last week!

My son is three and a half.  He's about average three-year-old height with big eyes and chubby cheeks.  He recently got a summer hair cut which displays well the cowlick that sits at the tip of his forehead.  And while he's a handful, he's often smiling.  Especially at neighbors.

The weather has been great lately, and so we've been taking advantage of it by spending time outside.  Sometimes, though, when I'm busy with indoor tasks, my son hangs out on the porch enjoying the weather.  I tell him that when I'm not out there with him, he must stay on the porch.  This never prevents him from having conversations with people across the street, though.  I'll hear him yelling to the neighbor, "Eleanore, Eleanore!  Hi, Eleanore!!  What are you doing over there?  I'm just sitting here!  Hi, Eleanore!  How are you, Eleanore?!"

It is a little embarrassing that my son can probably be heard a block down yelling to the neighbors.  But, hey, I love that he enjoys chatting with the community and letting them know we care about them.  I'm not sure how I feel, though, when he talks with people that are complete strangers to me.  I suppose to him, there's no difference between one person or another when they're walking by our house.  They're all "neighbors," right?

Over the past couple of weeks, more than once I've looked out the window to see my son chatting with a  young adult that I have never seen before.  We live very close to a college campus, so presumably these are students of the college, though I don't really know for sure.  All I know is that my son is a social butterfly who can't let someone pass by without a little chat.  I've seen him, yelling to people across the street, "Hello there!!  Hi!!  Who are you?  What's your name?!"  And at least twice now, I have seen these people stop, look at my child, and proceed to cross the road merely to answer his question.  Yes, I am being completely honest.

Just yesterday a young woman was walking a dog on the other side of the street and my son called out to her.  Next thing I know, from my watch inside, I see her cross the road and come into my front yard.  My son was just exuberant.  He kept a conversation going with her for at least a good ten minutes before I heard her say, "You better get back inside before your mom gets worried."  To which he replied, "Oh, okay.  I like your shirt, though."  Ah, a three-year-old with a diversion plan!  He already knows that talking about a girl's clothes with keep the conversation going longer.  Where does he learn this stuff, anyway?

I'm torn between the feelings of humor and concern when I see these encounters take place.  I'm terrified that something might happen to my son in presenting himself to strangers in this way.  Yet, on the other hand, his excitement and ability to converse with these adults makes me smile like nothing else.  I sure don't know any other three-year-olds who are so welcoming and loquacious!  It's such a delight watching my son, the friendly neighbor.  I wonder if he'll still be like this when he's older!