How friendly are you?

[Moonflower]

Hi,

Just wondering your thoughts on this.I am often out & about walking with Ds and he says hello to everyone he passes and sadly not everyone says hello back or even acknowledges him i took a leaf out of his book and try my best to say hello etc to everyone i pass…but some people dont even attempt to return greeting or even smile a greeting back….

if i am honest it is often the older generation arnd 50’s that are very much like this….women in particular…a lady lives near me and has her own grandchildren but she has never acknowledged me and many a time completely ignored DS when he has said hello

wouldnt it be a friendlier place to live if we all tried to be friendly to others…

I have to say after a recent visit to France i found people much friendlier there than here in ireland……

whats others thoughts on this…do we ignore strangers for a reason nowadays???

Moonflower

[scole1]

i have to agree, but i think people this day and age are feeling they are far top busy to be saying hello to people the do not know, or is it that people now use computers, mobiles etc as forms of communication that without these crutches of communication they are too shy to say hello…..

when i first moved here i found that the locals would be friendly and say hello and would strike up a conversation if standing at a bus stop waiting in a queue in a shop or whatever however some blowins dubs wouldn’t be as quick to say hello…..i find if out walking i would pass people and say hello or nod and some will give a gentle smile back or a nod or whisper hello in the fear of being heard but will say hello. some would just blank you….

i have to agree that it’s nice to be polite and what does it hurt to say hello, or have a little conversation with a stranger it could just make your day or somebody elses day a little lighter and brigther

[joey_rudd]

my dd1 says hello and waves to everyone when we are out, she’s very friendly
she doesn’t understand why people don’t say hello back
today while in the shopping centre one woman nearly knocked her over
while she was waving at her
the woman turned round and looked at me like i’d attacked
then got into the lift and was gone, i was in too much shock to say anything
even little children won’t say hello

there are quiet a lot of nice friendly people around, i get talked to a lot more when i have the children with me than when i’m on my own
don’t know why people are so closed off to talking to or saying hello to anyone

[libby1]

It is nice to be nice

I get fed up saying hello or smiling to others, when nothing is returned

Last week in M&S Dublin – myself and DD were trying on Hats and an elderly lady starting smiling at us and we smiled in return…..
She told us we made her Day – that we acknowledged her and returned her smiles,
someones days she takes to nobody, as people are too buzy to chat

So i have decided to smile or say hello to everyone

[Babs]

That is so sad! I hate to think of old people having no one….I always smile at old people…I must look like such a weirdo but I often wonder if they have had anyone talk to them that day….just hope I don’t find myself in that position some day 🙁 Mind you I wouldn’t smile at a younger person in fear they’d think I am flirting or just plain strange!!!!

[Moonflower]

yes old people always are more friendly………and even if they dont say hello they may have hearing probs or sight probs but a smile still is nice to give…and if we all are doing this as mums then thats a good example to set our children…

[Liverbird]

Sorry to say this girls. we are a friendly family but you never know these days who you are saying hello to… We’ve told our kids to only talk to people they know or who mum and dad knows. I know we’re all different but i think its safer that way.

[Moonflower]

It doesnt have to be a full blown conversation but a simple Hi is enough…often my Ds walks past a group of children & says Hi & waves & they also ignore him…so maybe their parents have told them same….completely understand where ur coming from……but always makes me feel sad for DS…but then again where i come from in england…children dont play out like they do here anymore….so if children are out playing without parents supervising it may be best option…….

[Michelle]

I definitely agree my son likes to chat to everyone and ive had ppl completely ignore him, the ones who usually stop and talk are the ones with kids with them themselves or the elderly!

i remember hearing a story on the radio when 98FM where doing there hugathon for charity and an old lady had got up especially early that morning to get into town to hug the girl for the charity, BECAUSE she hadn’t had a hug in 21 yrs since her husband died!! my heart broke for that old woman. I’ve experienced this myself closer to home when my uncle was tragically killed in a road accident and my aunt was left alone as they had no children, and my partner hugged her to say thanks for a birthday present and she collapsed in his arms and wouldn’t let go, as she hadn’t had a hug for 2yrs!

im not saying to go around hugging ppl, that might be a bit too far, but i always say hello and am polite to ppl as u just never know what goes on in their life and if they have company or not.
and even if ppl do not say hello back to myself, or my son, well i just think that’s an opportunity missed by them, and hope for their sake they are not always so busy with life to miss the small things!

[munchin]

i like joey find you get more people waving, smiling etc saying hi when i have the kids with me but i do try to acknowedlge people as i’m passing.
go

[Taylor5]

I would always say hello to people but more to older people, I would always give older folks a "good morning or nice day" etc…
But sometimes a simple hello can attract some weird people, I remember saying Hello to Droghedas local nutter (cant remember his name) and he ended up following me down the lane off shop street telling me he hasnt had sex in ages and he had a sore willy….. Not nice had to report him to the garda

So If I think someone looks a bit "strange" I wont even give eye contact never mind a hello

[yummymummy]

im gonna be the bold one here and say that majority of the time i find old people very very rude. you get the nice sweet ones and ill always say hello, or talk to them in a q or whatever but then you get the downright rude ones who i have no itme for whatsoever!!!!

im not big on making eye contact so i dont tned to say hello to people (not being rude just dont like it..eye contact that is) but if someone said hi to me ill always reply. As manners cost nothing.

my ds would talk to the wall if it ans back and its ALWAYS talking to strangers (esp ones walking in the street with their dogs) had to sit him down plenty of times to explain why he has to be careful.

lol taylor it was prob pmc, my mam hates him shits herself everytime she sees him coming, j thinks he is hilarious but would go near him.

[Taylor5]

Thats the man, seen him last week crossing the road at mother hughes, have to say he looked very well, he, was very clean and had what looked like a new haircut

I agree alot of old people are grumpy and q jumpers 🙄 😆 😆 😆 When I worked in An Post would come across loads of them, had one ould dear read my the riot act over her broken phone, when I got a word in (now thats a first) and told her Im from AN POST…. she just said "well werent you all one company once" and SLAMMED door in my face 😆 😆 😆

My sister told me my mum is turning into a grumpy ould one….. 😆 😆 😆

[Yvonne]

I have to agree Yummy – the older people can be downright rude!! No need for it – if we were like that to them, we would be shot!
I remember being in the ESB and there was about 3 in front and 1 being served, this old biddy came in and went straight to the counter and stood beside the lady being served!

I always say hello to people and would always respond to children – its cute when the say hi or wave!

[Fabienne]

I don’t know how friendly am, but Since I moved here, things have changed a lot. A friend who lives on a main road, she said that years ago when she was outside gardening and all everyone said hello while passing by. Now it could be just a few over the whole summer.
I see that, still thinks it’s better than in France (guess depends on the region and season).

In the other hand, when I go to playgrounds with my kids I always reminds them not to talk to adults they don’t know (afraid of abduction….), only to children.
They see me talking to everyone, but they’re not allowed to do it without me.
Maybe that’s why little by little we stop talking to each other.

It took 2 years to my neighbour teenage kids to say hello back ( they never said it first).

Just hope I will be seento be more friendly than that.

[Author]

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