“Hey! How are you?!?” That’s my standard greeting when I step to the register at a quick mart or other retail establishment. As an extrovert, I love engaging in conversation with people I don’t already know, hoping that they would find the interaction bright and encouraging. In recent years, I’ve noticed what many others have been noticing, and it’s become so commonplace that even the national media outlets have reported on it. It’s known as the “Gen Z Stare”, and it’s been defined as the blank stare that members of younger generations give in situations where a verbal response would be more common, and even polite. It happens most often in customer service interactions where someone asks a legitimate question, and is responded to with the stare. While those of us who are older might interpret it as a deliberate effort to be impolite, the kids themselves say it’s a matter of being dumbfounded or disinterested. Are you teaching your kids skills for healthy interaction?