Am I Embarrassing?

Perhaps if you said Hi she might have answered back. It goes both ways just like telephone calls. I am 73 and I have never understood this thing about "respecting your elders". Perhaps elders should show the way.

Yes ? and judging by nickname being not acknowledged would upset you

Times have changed and not necessarily for the better. I doubt their parents get a 'Hi' from them either.

I think teenagers have changed. I went through my teens in the 70s and was as "hip" and trendy as the next kid, or liked to thunk I was, but we had a lovely elderly neighbour who must have been in his eighties then so born at the end of the 19th century. He always wore a hat, trilby in the winter and a panama in the summer. He used to tip it to my mother and to my much older sister if he passed them in the street. The first time he did so to me, I must have been about 14 or 15 I think, I was secretly delighted!

2 of my 3 sons went to the same school I taught at and was head of year. They told everyone I was their aunt who they didn't really like but got a lift to school with ! Hey ho

Mooney59

Yes ? and judging by nickname being not acknowledged would upset you

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I'm afraid us adults are just not cool enough ?.
My son grunted all through his teenage years, at 21 he changed into a wonderful human being ?

I often cringe over things I did during my own teenage years!

Even as I write, I remember passing an old boyfriend's mum on the way to church and looking the other way as if I didn't know who she was.
Most young people are insecure and socially awkward around adults....Eventually they become more friendly. I wouldn't take anything personally.

No you are not embarrassing, most teenagers feel a bit awkward? You might have got a different reaction if you'd said hi? I was walking around my local park/wood yesterday and there were 2 teenage boys sitting to the side of the path on the grass smoking and looking at their phones. A lot of people were walking by looking down their noses at them. I walked past and said a cheery "Hi boys" they looked up and beamed and said "Hi" back very politely. Works both ways, I think.

I do appreciate all your comments and viewpoints, and totally ‘get’ where you are all coming from, that being a teenager can be an awkward, shy, uncomfortable time.

Having said that, and not wanting to harp on about years ago, but I started work at 16 in a local bank, and left the safe environment of school for the adult world, where you were expected to communicate with customers and (often) older colleagues in a professional, courteous, grown up manner.

So when we are saying that they grow out of this shyness etc. when they are possibly no longer teenagers, some of us had to do it a bit sooner maybe, back then.

But as I said in my OP, times have changed,