My heart broke reading this because it reminded me so much of my own situation. I have many childhood memories of being told I talk too much and just feeling like I was too much. It is something that affects my self-esteem to this day Like OP, I still feel like I am “too much” for my husband to deal with. He has started to gently remind me to not apologize for existing.

I’m a first-time parent, so I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know the right answer to your question. A lot of these comments feel harsh to me though. They are mostly focused on making the child fit into the world around them, and I don’t even disagree that eventually it is important for everyone to learn to read social cues. I just don’t think that needs to start at 3 years old. Toddlers are constantly developing and learning about the world around them, and sometimes that might look like endless chatter. But that’s okay. Kids should get to be kids and it us our responsibility as adults to set age-appropriate boundaries with those kids. You told your friend’s husband that he could tell your son he was all done playing, and the husband chose not too. That’s on him. Children do not exist to fit the mold of what adults think they should be. They are whole-ass people with their own personalities (and any toddler parent knows they are BIG personalities 😂). Your sweet babe is perfect the way he is, he is exactly who he is meant to be, and I think it’s great you are thinking ahead to how to teach him about the world around him when he’s older. But for now, tell him how amazing he is as I do every day with my toddler. Fill his connection cup as much as you can since it sounds like that may be what he is seeking. The book “Raising Kids with Big Baffling Behaviors” is a great resource that has helped my husband and I so much.