Aitch is good with adults. I have already described how, at parties, he schmoozes all the men, learning their names and bonding with them over fart jokes and tickle contests. I sometimes worry about his seemingly insatiable need to win over grown-ups. We were warned that this kind of over-pleasing behavior could be a sign of an attachment problem in an adopted child. We’ve consulted a few experts, though, and the consensus seems to be that since he shows positive signs of attachment to us, we shouldn’t worry about it.

(Recently, though, he’s started talking to homeless men. I don’t mean he responds to them when they talk to him; I mean, he goes out of his way to engage them in conversation even when they are trying to ignore him. Should I be worried?)

Anyway, in a big gathering, Aitch gravitates toward the men, but in smaller social setting, he is very, very charming with women. He really tailors his approach to his audience. To wit:

To me, dressed for work and kissing him as he wakes up: “You look so pretty, Mommy. I like your polka-dot shirt.”

At Starbucks, to the woman at the next table: “I really like your purse.”

To my visiting friend: “Your toes are red. They’re really pretty.”

Almost any adult in Aitch’s orbit makes the same prediction about his future career: “He’s going to be a salesman, eh?”