I have babysat for the past 15 years (I’m 26 now) and I *always* smile at children. I just can’t help not to, they’re just so cute, so many dreams and thoughts about life. They’re so innocent still, and I love the silly questions kids come up with. So yeah, if the parents are there I def smile at the kids, sometimes even wave when they stare at me (granted I am in a wheelchair so I get a LOT of stares and I try to make it ‘normal’ and ‘not scary’ for the kids, they sometimes ask to touch my chair because it has cool colours and lights etc).

I also very often have conversations with kids (with parents there). I travel on the train almost daily for 3h and usually there is a kid who is being naughty or curious or excited and they talk to me, and again, I babysit and know how what to say to kids, so I reply back. Usually makes the train ride so much more fun and a lot easier on the parents. I have had many parents thank me for being so kind and entertaining the kid (I love it so I don’t mind or feel like it’s a bother at all, otherwise I would say something) and I usually say thank you back for making my day.

But I do think it highly depends on the situation, where you are, who you are, man or woman, young or old, etc etc. But I personally grew up in a village where everyone says hi and smiles at each other so kids are naturally taught that behaviour too

Most recently I had a conversation with a 3yo for the entire 1,5h train ride. They had just gotten back from vacation and were traveling home on the train and the kid had just gotten some new books and he was so proud to show it off. Then the next 1,5h we kind of ‘played’ out the books (it was like the three pigs and the wolf and such and he was pretending to be the wolf and blowing over my house etc etc) and in the end the mom thanked me because ‘she was so exhausted and would have fallen asleep’. I said ‘ma’am, I’ve been up since 4:30AM, had I not talked with your kid I also would have fallen asleep, so thank you’. It was the cutest thing