Weird question about Waving

Feelslikefar

Feelslikefar

Senior Member
Location
Nashville, TN
Can't really find anything about this, maybe others can explain it.
Was this common or was I some kind of 'weird' kid.

My mom said that as child, I would return someone's 'Wave' with the palm of my hand facing me.
She said it went on for a long time, even after it was explained to me to turn my palm outward when waving.
Finally became normal and waved like everybody else.

When my youngest son was born, he also did this for years.
I had never, at that time, mentioned this to anyone.

I've asked other parents about this and seems it wasn't a common thing.

Not sure why this came to me, must be a slow News day...
 

Feelslikefar said:
Can't really find anything about this, maybe others can explain it.
Was this common or was I some kind of 'weird' kid.

My mom said that as child, I would return someone's 'Wave' with the palm of my hand facing me.
She said it went on for a long time, even after it was explained to me to turn my palm outward when waving.
Finally became normal and waved like everybody else.

When my youngest son was born, he also did this for years.
I had never, at that time, mentioned this to anyone.

I've asked other parents about this and seems it wasn't a common thing.

Not sure why this came to me, must be a slow News day...
Click to expand...
...just a thought- I wonder if the palm facing inward return wave was visually similar to someone's wave, where you'd see the palm.
 

I have thought of that being the case, it's what we see in a wave.
Was wondering why my son and I both doing this, but not others.

Might be we share some sort of 'wiring' passed on, to manifest itself in early childhood.
 
Just one suggestion I found from NIH:
Palm Reversal Errors:
Studies have shown that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) sometimes imitate gestures, like waving, by reversing the palm orientation.
Ohta (1987) was the first to report such errors (which he called “partial imitations”): children with ASD often imitated a wave-like gesture (in which the experimenter's open palm was oriented toward the child) with their palms facing inward toward themselves.
Palm Reversal Errors in Native-Signing Children with Autism - PMC.
 
I think Feelslikefar, and his son, might have some royal blood.

ca09695560fc0ae0138bf197f3801af2.jpg
 
On a side note, for most of my early life, I would try to read words right to left, including short sentence.
Growing up in the 50's, was not a lot of testing or treatment available.
Had one teacher, during that time, who spent extra time in helping me.
I practiced and parcticed the things she taught me.

Now, I've conditioned myself to just start on the left.

(When I post here, I always start on 'notepad', then paste to the forum. Better to arrange my thoughts.)
 
Feelslikefar said:
On a side note, for most of my early life, I would try to read words right to left, including short sentence.
Growing up in the 50's, was not a lot of testing or treatment available.
Had one teacher, during that time, who spent extra time in helping me.
I practiced and parcticed the things she taught me.

Now, I've conditioned myself to just start on the left.

(When I post here, I always start on 'notepad', then paste to the forum. Better to arrange my thoughts.)
Click to expand...
Autistic traits ?
 
Feelslikefar said:
Autism? Possibly with me.

Since there is no cure for any type of Autism and at my age, not going to add this to my other worries.
Son has no signs or other problems that are listed.
Click to expand...
if you've lived with a touch of Autism all your life, and have adjusted parts of your life to live with it, albeit unknowingly, then I don't see anything to have to worry about changing, I agree
 
Slow news day, quick answer day when I fed your post into deepseek.ai. Here is the reply:

This situation—where both you and your son waved with your palms facing inward (toward yourselves) instead of the more common outward-facing wave—is an interesting example of a possible **inherited or instinctive gesture variation**. Here are some possible explanations for why this occurred:

### 1. **Mirroring & Early Imitation**
- As a child, you may have initially imitated waving by mirroring someone else's gesture. When someone waves *at you*, their palm faces *them* (from your perspective). If you mirrored this motion exactly, your palm would face inward.
- Most children eventually adjust to the social norm (palm outward), but some persist longer, especially if the correction wasn’t reinforced strongly.

### 2. **Neurological or Developmental Quirk**
- Some children have minor differences in motor planning or imitation skills. Your brain may have initially processed the wave as a "reach-and-pull" motion rather than an outward-facing gesture.
- The fact that your son did the same thing suggests a possible **genetic predisposition** in how your family's motor development processes gestures.

### 3. **Genetic/Inherited Trait**
- Since your son replicated the same behavior *without* being taught it, this could hint at an innate movement pattern. Certain gestures (like clapping, pointing, or waving) have biological roots but can vary slightly in execution.
- This would make it a rare but familial variation, similar to how some families have unique inherited behaviors (e.g., sneezing at bright light).

### 4. **Coincidence or Confirmation Bias**
- It's possible that other children do this briefly, but parents don’t notice or remember it. Since you were attuned to it, you observed it in your son, whereas others might not have registered it.

### Why Isn’t It Common?
Most children quickly adapt to the standard wave because:
- They receive immediate social feedback (e.g., adults model the "correct" way).
- Outward-facing waves are more visible and communicative to others.

Yours and your son’s persistence in the inward wave might reflect a slight divergence in how your brains initially interpreted the gesture—one that’s uncommon but not dysfunctional.

Fascinatingly, this could be a tiny example of **neurodivergent trait transmission** (if related to how you process imitation) or just a quirky familial signature in movement. Either way, it’s a neat observation!

Have you noticed other subtle similarities in how you and your son interact with the world?
.
 
Feelslikefar said:
On a side note, for most of my early life, I would try to read words right to left, including short sentence.
Growing up in the 50's, was not a lot of testing or treatment available.
Had one teacher, during that time, who spent extra time in helping me.
I practiced and parcticed the things she taught me.

Now, I've conditioned myself to just start on the left.

(When I post here, I always start on 'notepad', then paste to the forum. Better to arrange my thoughts.)
Click to expand...
I believe I was(still am, a bit) Dyslexic, totally bombed all grade school subjects until a teacher realized that I was Left-handed. Once I was allowed to be Left-handed my scholastic performance shot from Bottom to Top in short order.
 
@Paco Dennis, thanks for posting the info and question about how my son and I react with the world.

He is a very extrovert person, easy to get to know and lots of friends.
Opposite of me.
He concerns himself with others feelings.

This could be due to the fact he lived in the same place all his school years and developed lasting friends.

I'm detail oriented and he just takes things as they come.

Wouldn't want him any other way!
 
Don't ask me how I recall this, but.... in high society.......
Waving to someone with your palm facing them is considered being rude. Supposedly, it's akin to slapping someone.
Waving to someone with your palm facing you is supposed to show you have no animosity.
I always abide by this rule whenever I ride in my golden horsedrawn carriage amongst my adoring subjects.
 
A child sees a "wave" as displaying a hand. That's all. It is more difficult to twist your wrist to display your palm. Showing a "V" sign in one direction means "peace" but in the other diretion means "victory". Why? Showing a thumb up means "good" or "OK" on the surface but under water means "go to the surface". Why is one single finger an insult but none of the others are? Oh the mysteries of community life!
 
Speaking of slow news day, there seems to be a right of passage, when a little kid in a shopping cart figures out that if he says, "Hi," he can often control the actions of others. I have suspected this is the first time he realizes all those humans out there are more than just shadow figures, but things he has control over. That just my theory, but I love it when some little one does that to me at the grocery store, and I make sure to make a big fuss about responding to him.

When it happens to you, try this; Along with saying, "Hi," add a question to your response, something relevant to the shopping experience like, "Did your mother buy your favorite cereal?" Odds are, this will confound the little control freak, and he won't have a clue how to respond, putting you, the adult, back in control of the situation.;)
 
JustDave said:
Speaking of slow news day, there seems to be a right of passage, when a little kid in a shopping cart figures out that if he says, "Hi," he can often control the actions of others. I have suspected this is the first time he realizes all those humans out there are more than just shadow figures, but things he has control over. That just my theory, but I love it when some little one does that to me at the grocery store, and I make sure to make a big fuss about responding to him.

When it happens to you, try this; Along with saying, "Hi," add a question to your response, something relevant to the shopping experience like, "Did your mother buy your favorite cereal?" Odds are, this will confound the little control freak, and he won't have a clue how to respond, putting you, the adult, back in control of the situation.;)
Click to expand...
I usally say, "Is she your mother?" If he/she says "yes" then I reply, "You lucky boy!" (or girl)
 
I always say hi to little children who say hi and they give me a cute smile or chatter on about something I don't understand. I just say okay, then turn away.

I don't notice how one waves at me but I try to wave back if I see them. Where I live people seem to always wave even if you do not know them.
 
Rae said:
I always say hi to little children who say hi and they give me a cute smile or chatter on about something I don't understand. I just say okay, then turn away.

I don't notice how one waves at me but I try to wave back if I see them. Where I live people seem to always wave even if you do not know them.
Click to expand...
Me too. I am an out-going person. I am no introvert and I really get a warm and fuzzy feeling interacting with children and friendly dogs. My family doesn't like when I do that, particularly my soon-to-be ex wife. I can give you a hundred examples but I'll only give you one:

Some years ago (in a summer-friendly town in Tunisia) we were riding one of those colourful open-air mini trains that take you from one part of town to the other. Along the seafront, there was an Arab family walking along the pavement in the opposite direction. The boy in the family (about 8 years old) held up his hand in a "high five" fashion so as we passed I gave him a "high five" which really made him happy, me too. My wife (very soon to be my ex wife) gave me a nasty look and told me I was being stupid. Did I mention that I am in the early stages of a divorce?

Mini train Sousse.jpg
 

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