Bob:
As others have said, don't take it personally that these kids don't say hello to you. To them, you are a dork on a bicycle who is probably homeless or carless because of a DWI. Would YOU have waved hello to someone like you when you were that age?
I ran a youth group with high school kids for about 8 years in the late 90's and early 2000's (when I was only in my 30's and early 40's) and it took me quite a while to earn the kids' trust and to finally become the absolute coolest old guy they had ever met. Now I oversee high school-aged kids on my job and they think I'm awesome, but the kids I pass at the bus stop on MY commute every morning completely ignore my greetings and snicker and sneer as soon as I pass. And this includes kids I've known since they were born - and with whom I can have a great conversation when they're not in front of their friends having to admit to knowing the doofus on the bike with the helmet and the mirror and the flashing lights.
I get more satisfaction thinking about what they must be thinking than I think I would get if any of them ever returned my hello. Don't work too hard. Continue to say hello to those who return the gesture, but as others have also said, with kids, your good intentions can fast become creepy.
Last edited by Papa Tom; 10-30-16 at 06:34 AM.