It doesn't matter how much I make sure she plays with other kids or gets out to play in groups, Maeve is just shy. She is easily set off by other kids being too loud, or getting in her face, or strange grownups talking to her.
The intensity of her shyness has waxed and waned, but it's pretty intense at her current stage of development. Strangers talking to me at the grocery store or waiters taking my order send her winding her arms round my neck in fear, especially men.
If we're in a quiet setting and there are only one or two kids, she will warm up after a few minutes; if we're at our house, she warms up much more quickly. But last week when we tried to go to gymnastics, she told me plainly she didn't want to go. I thought she was being a two-year-old, and stubborn, so I took her anyway. But every few minutes, she came up to me and told me she was all done, until fifteen minutes in to the class, when she said "All done" over and over until I let her leave.
It's frustrating, because I know interacting with other kids is so good for her, and so is just being in a bigger group and learning to tough it out when one kid screams or another one bumps into her. But I don't want to torture her, either, that certainly won't help matters.
We will try gymnastics again today, unless she tells me ahead of time that she doesn't want to. I think I need to balance listening to Maeve and knowing what she needs, and give in to a little of both. What about you? Are there things you make your kids do that they hate but you know it's good for them? How hard do you push?
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| Back off, stranger! |
Sammy has good days and bad days with strangers--he can still be a little stranger around men, but as long as he's in his home environment he's fine. I think your idea of balancing her wants vs. her needs is a good place to start and I know she'll thrive under your guidance! :D
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