Who Doesn't Like a Compliment???

Riley has a very keen eye and he will notice things without even appearing to be looking. 

One of the things we noticed early on was how Riley would immediately comment if someone got a haircut.  The “conversation” went like this: “You got your haircut”; the person would acknowledge; then there would be silence…nothing…zip…end of “conversation”.  Well once again on the upside R was initiating an interaction.  How could we build on this?  Bingo…what better way to make a positive connection with someone than by paying them a compliment and who doesn’t want to hear they look great after getting a haircut?  So, we “gave” Riley some words he could use in this situation, “it looks great!”  He would say it with such enthusiasm too.  :D

Luckily R is a quick study and it only took a few haircuts (thankfully as my hair was getting shorter and shorter) before he had it down pat. What started out as a single interaction developed into this: 

R:         You got your haircut.

Person: Yes I did.

R:         (with super enthusiasm in his voice) It looks GREAT!!!

Person: (smiling)  Thank you Riley.

R:         No problem.  (this was totally unprompted; he picked it up somewhere on his own)

R would then go on his merry way.  It was the other person’s reaction that was so neat to see.  Whether it was a peer or adult it amazed me how three little words from R would bring such a smile to the other person as they walked away standing just a little bit taller.    

Gotta tell you…worked like a charm.