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Anyone have any good stranger reaction stories to share?

My DS5 does not have much opportunity to interact with strangers on a daily basis but I was surprised at some of the responses we got last week on our flight to Florida. I know DS is advanced but after very limited interactions people kept commenting on how "smart" he was (which doesn't help his ego problem).

One example was that after our plane landed a few people in the rows near us stopped us on our way out because they just had to meet the young man that they could hear chatting away on the plane. They had expected a child at least a few years older based on his vocabulary, topics of conversation and calm behavior.

There were also lots of other amazed reactions after DS and I took turns reading some of his MTH book in the airport. People were getting up and coming over to congratulate DS on a great job reading.

We got many blank stares playing a game of mental math (with multiplying, dividing, word problems and adding and subtraction negative numbers).

Reading every sign in the airport as well as identifying different airline planes as they landed also drew lots of attention from the other travelers.

Even the simple things, like DS controlling and listening to his IPod seemed to draw attention.

It was the first time I really felt DS was really different from other kids his age. There were so many kids in the airport and on the plane but it seemed everyone was amazed and focused on DS. I have to admit is was a little awkward and a little frightening. I just want DS to be able to fit in.

DS2 has asthma. Recently we took him to an after-hours (kids) medical center. The MD spoke to DS in an overly saccharine "young" manner. DS was not listening to the MD or cooperating. I tried to politely ask the MD to speak to DS as if he was an adult or an older child. Once he did that DS, much to the MD's surprise, was cooperative and participatory in the MD's evaluation.

I'm always amazed by that saccharine voice, too, Ann. Do people really talk to kids like that? Does it really work?

They're not munchkins or dolls, they're people. Can't we just talk to them. If we use a term they don't understand, can't we define it for them?

Odd.

Oh, and I used to evaluate a babysitter by how quickly they realized he was bright. The best turned to me after no more than 30 seconds with my then 2yo and whispered, so that he couldn't hear, "Of course, you realize he's very bright?"

We LOVED her!

I agree wholeheartedly. It made *me* cringe to listen to the MD speak to DS that way. Although, to be fair, I'm not a fan of the saccharine tone in any situation. I think that's why DS loves his regular pediatrician. His RegPed has the Bueller deadpan/monotone down pat. DS likes that his RegPed addresses him as if DS was an adult visiting the doctor (independent of his parents).

She sounds wonderful! Too bad we can't share her.

She retired, though I literally BEGGED her not to!

We've gotten ALOT of comments DS lately because DS7 has taken to carrying around thick chapter books with him where ever he goes. And we have the opposite situation. DS is in first grade, but could easily pass for a kindergartener. He literally read an hour the other night in a crowded room of people and a bunch of people came up and commented. People would ask him what he was reading and then he'd give them the look that said - don't bug me, I'm reading a good book and just flash them the cover. Guess we need to work on manners! We've also gotten a couple of comments this week on vocab. But generally, DS tries to mask vocab and ability when playing with other kids. Only if an adult goes out their way to engage him in more adult discussion does he "come out".

The saccharine voice thing drives me nuts too! It sets both my kids off. They become immediately belligerant if they get that tone.

Seriously, the way people talk to children drives me nuts, and ds5 nuts as well. He hates being spoken down to.

We had a good one at Thanksgiving last year ... we were at my step-mother's mother's house for the holiday. I know the family well from growing up, but we live out of state now and they see B only rarely.

They have a family tradition of playing games for Thanksgiving, typically mini-golf and peanut toss. B went to take his turn at peanut toss; there were 4 silver bowls of various sizes, each labeled with a different point value (5, 10, 20, 40). B took his turn, tossing peanuts, and was adding them up as he went along: "5! 15! 25! 45!!!" And when his turn was over, he stayed and added for other people as they tossed. People were blown away and commenting right and left; it was a little awkward for me, especially because it really wasn't a big deal for B.

The kicker, though, was when my aunt's new husband (they have two boys, ages 11 and 8) came up to me afterward and said, "Now really, how did you get him to do that?" Excuse me? I told him I didn't do anything, that's just the way B is. I got the feeling the guy didn't believe me.

On our recent trip to Disney, he also got lots of weird looks ... we met a little girl on one bus who I would bet my life is EG or, more likely, PG. She and Benj sat and chatted for a good 20 minutes; her mother and I were dying! My step-mother just looked kind of irritated, tee hee.

Random thought... What do your children call you? I've noticed that DS2 calls my DH "Daddy" when he wants something; "Dad" in regular conversation; and "Rob" when he's trying to get serious w/ DH.