I have to teach my ds not to talk to strangers, right? He's my third - the other two were so shy, it seemed like no big deal to teach them (they didn;t want to talk to strangers anyway). But #3 LOVES people - he talks to everyone. And everyone talks back. It seems a shame to nip such joy in the bud!

np, I agree. By the time DC is old enough to ride the bus alone, etc., he or she will know what's appropriate as far as sharing goes. as an aside, I was on a plane once with 2 DCs. My then 5 yo dd was sitting next to a businessman who she started chatting up (he didn't seem annoyed -- I could tell he was a dad). I couldn't hear the whole conversation, but at some point loud and clear I hear DD tell the strange man, "and sometimes my daddy sleeps on the couch with just his underwear on."