Wow, 5 month felt like 5 minutes ago. Hayes is big. And getting bigger. 19 Pounds when we went in last Friday, cause we thought H was sick. Turns out, though he may have been sick, or teething or something, the doc said he was healthy. And big. And gregarious.
She also wondered if he was having stranger anxiety. She said it was early, but because he was so interested in everything, it wouldn’t be surprising. And guess what? He has. For about a month now. And it happened again tonight as we made our bi-weekly trip to The Dish for dinner.
Yup, the manager makes Hayes cry. It’s like clock work, if you’ll forgive the cliche. She looks at him. His bottom lip starts to quiver. He looks at us. We smile at him, make funny noises and try desperately to distract him, and he launches into hysterics.
I feel awful! I mean, how do you explain it? “Yah, he, uh, just got up from a nap.” Only works the first 10 times, and with her, we’re past that. Now she says, which incidently she’s said all along, “I have this effect on babies.” But, man, I feel so bad. Has anyone else had this happen? How do you explain, or more appropriately, lie politely, about it? I’m looking for ideas!
Lisa Williams says:
July 22nd, 2005 at 8:21 pm
My older son was “allergic” to some people — a friend of ours with a bald head particularly freaked him out until he got a little older.
I would love to hear your tips on dining at nice places with kids.
BIYF says:
July 23rd, 2005 at 12:10 am
We like to tell people our son just doesn’t like them. We make up reasons: color of the shirt, hair color, height, etc. It’s more fun to do that and see how the other people react than trying to explain stranger anxiety to non-parents.
Cameron says:
July 23rd, 2005 at 6:40 am
The guy who runs the local corner store scared the crap out of Lucas for the longest time (mb because he was trying to give him lollipops when he was 3 months old). I just told him “he’s not used to other people…”
AJ says:
July 25th, 2005 at 10:34 am
Our daughter doesn’t cry at the sight of anyone. She will get a quiet, studious look on her face for many folks, while for others she remains playful. The same goes for handling… will cry at being picked up, while a few people she instantly likes. I suspect it has to do with whether they approach her with a smile and generally keep that happy appearance. Pay attention to faces. Some people consistently smile when they talk. Others look grumpy.
Jennifer says:
July 25th, 2005 at 2:20 pm
Boy do I know how you feel. My child has been to my gyms daycare manny times but now all of a sudden she screams when I drop her off. She is even doing it when I drop her off with grandparents. I don’t know what is up but it’s driving me crazy