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Lynda Loveland: Stop staring!

My four-year-old daughter is WAY behind the learning curve to successful staring.

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Lynda Loveland
By
Lynda Loveland

As an adult, staring is something we’ve learned to disguise.

We do it behind sunglasses or out of the corner of our eye. Never, EVER straight on! My four-year-old daughter is WAY behind the learning curve to successful staring. Yes, I know it’s not polite in any form, but sometimes, you just gotta. We are human after all.

Case in point, yesterday at the gym. I took Carys into the women’s locker room to change for her ballet class. I tell her to start taking off her clothes as I turn around to put our stuff in the locker. I turn back around and she’s full on staring at the mom and her two daughters changing clothes next to us.

When I say next to us, I mean right next to us. Carys is staring at someone maybe 15 inches away. Not obvious at all! I want to say to Carys, that just can’t FEEL right! Even though you’re really too young to know better, it just can’t FEEL right! She’s not moving a muscle, except those eye muscles that are working overtime. Hands to her sides, head straight ahead, staring just as hard as she can. I can feel myself getting warm.

So what do I do? Correct her now in front of the people, distract her or wait till I get her alone? I chose to tell her quietly that it’s not polite to stare at people and then I distracted her. We had a talk later about not staring at people. She seemed to get it. But we’re still going shopping for sunglasses this weekend!

Lynda is the mom of three and co-host of Mix 101.5 WRAL-FM's Bill & Lynda in the Morning. Find her here on Thursdays.

 

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