Engaging with strangers in public spaces can be a tricky dance, especially when it involves children.

When one woman smiled and waved at a toddler, she never expected her friendly gesture to lead to such an uproar from two overprotective parents.

You’ll want to read on for this one.

AITA for waving to a toddler whilst the parents weren’t looking?

I (27f) was just out for a walk in my regular area when I saw ahead that a small female kid was standing at the back of what I’m assuming was the parents’ car.

The car was parked, and they were unloading things from it.

The toddler appeared to be friendly, so acted accordingly.

I could see the kid was clearly staring at me, like kids do, so when I was close enough, I smiled and waved.

I also stopped for a second and said, “Hey,” but kept walking.

But she never thought the toddler’s parents would react so poorly.

Next thing, the mom and dad are flagging me down to say, “Hey, don’t ever do that again!”

They were saying all kinds of things, but I just said something like, “Hey, didn’t mean anything by it,” and kept walking. I heard some choice words before I turned the corner.

She’s left wondering if she was wrong for greeting the child.

I don’t have kids, so I don’t really know the protocol or etiquette. Should I have just not engaged?

AITA for saying “Hey” to the toddler, kid, not sure on the age?

Even the most seemingly innocent gestures aren’t immune to controversy.

What did Reddit think?

The parents are definitely the abnormal ones here.

Another toddler parent also weighs in.

What kind of friendly toddler wouldn’t want to be waved back at?

There was nothing about her behavior that seemed out of line in the slightest.

This harrowing experience made it clear that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to interacting with others.

It would seem these parents need a reminder that not every interaction is a threat.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check out what happened when a family gave their in-laws a free place to stay in exchange for babysitting, but things changed when they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.