AIBU to ask people questions to show I am interested

[Schoolfortrees]

I often don't know what to say in terms of social chit chat so rather than talking about myself I ask people lots of questions. I do this especially with people I may not know that well e.g. on the school run or when bumping into someone I know on the way to work.

I do this because I want to show that I am interested in their lives.

Questions I ask may include what they are having for tea that night, where they are going on holiday and what they are planning to do there, how their dc's music grading went, how often their dc practices their instrument etc. I sometimes ask how thing are at work and if they find the commute hard or have time for lunch breaks do overtime etc. I recently asked my dd's music teacher who had previously told me about a job they were applying for how the interview went and if they got the job. I asked this quietly but in front of other school mums if that makes any difference. I had the feeling that the music teacher looked a bit embarrassed.

I tend to ask lots of follow up questions to show my interest and because I feel uncomfortable talking about myself.

AIBU and at risk of coming across as a nosy parker?

If I am on nosy parker territory here, how else can i conduct my small talk?

littlemisspuddington I imagine that he doesn't ask in an intense way and feels probably quite chilled generally, and he probably chooses his moments. I think I need to also work on just feeling more comfortable in my own skin. Having 2 young children and fertility issues before that with some scares in one of my pregnancies has all left me feeling tense and probably a bit uptight in myself.

Gah. Time for change.

For what it’s worth, School I’d love to meet you. I find social situations a bit awkward too, and I am terrible at smalltalk, so someone asking me direct questions about my day/work/life would be great, then I could reciprocate (which you might hate) and not have any weird awkwardness.