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[Side note: I remember playing this old-school version of Candy Land at my grandma's house when I was a little girl. Good times.]
Little Boy went to his best friend's [okay, my best friend's daughter's] birthday party today. The party theme: Candy Land. Awesome, right? It was pretty fun. All the kids had a good time.
Little Boy said he had a good time, too, but...he's just so shy. Whenever we're in a social situation, he spends more time with me than with the other kids. I've tried encouraging him to go play; I've tried not encouraging him to go play. I've tried putting him in more social situations, but it hasn't seemed to make a difference.
Here's what really bothers me: the fear that it's my fault. Maybe I'm sheltering him too much, but I don't notice it. Maybe he picks up on my nervousness when I'm around other people [family and best friend's family not included].
And I do get nervous around other people. I can remember being just as shy as Little Boy when I was a little girl. Did I somehow pass that on to him?
I'm definitely better now than when I was a kid, though. That gives me hope.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Shyness in Candy Land
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It's your job to worry. We all do it. I'm sure he will be fine, most kids have their own timeline.
ReplyDeleteBut if you are worried here's some unsolicited advice. Keep putting him in social situations, story hour, pre-school, the park, etc. He will become more comfortable with time. Some kids just take longer to warm up to the idea of other people/kids.
Psychological studies suggest that parental influence on their kids' personalities is negligible.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about it. Even if you DID teach him to be shy...then I think you probably just taught him how to cope with the fear of crowds, not actually GAVE him the fear. Does that make sense?
ReplyDeleteIt's not your fault. One of my kids is super social, the other is super shy. They've been raised the same. I hope my shy one comes out of his shell someday too. I worry about him.
ReplyDeleteThanks, guys. I feel a little better. :)
ReplyDeleteNot to worry, I experienced that with almost all my children. And they have all changed tremendously as they have matured and had new and different experiences.
ReplyDeleteKristin