Forcing mom to be social.

Mom, by nature, isn't exactly the most outgoing person in the world. If you ask my dad, he'd tell you she's a hermit, which isn't really fair since he's Mr. Congeniality. Dad makes it a point to make at least 10 people laugh a day, and he usually succeeds. Or mom laughs when people ignore his jokes, which happens about 9 times a day. 

Well, in order to bring mom out of her shell a bit, I wave and smile at EVERYONE. Therefore, she must awkwardly turn around to acknowledge the person I'm smiling at and say hello. It's a fail-proof plan. AND we live in the ex-pat area, meaning most people speak fairly good English. No excuses! 

The funny thing is, people can't ignore my waving because I'm so cute, specifically the men with their girlfriends who have to pretend I'm adorable too in order not to upset the said girlfriend and any future plans of marriage and kids. One guy wasn't waving at me until his girlfriend forced him to. That was both a win for mom and I, who love awkwardness as a general rule. 

So, mom, this is a warning. Make friends, or I'm going to make them for you!