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Commenting on the thread of the 'shy' child. I personally don't like the
term 'shy'. In my experience, a 'shy' person is generally an introvert.
There's nothing wrong with being an introvert. But it can be important for
introverts to learn the skills that allow comfortable social interactions,
just as it can be important for extroverts to learn skills to allow them to
be comfortable by themselves or in very small groups.

I don't like the term 'shy' because there's a sense of there being something
wrong with the child, when the only thing wrong is assuming all people should
be equally comfortable with strangers and large groups. OTOH, if I think of
'skills' rather than 'something's wrong with the child', then I can focus on
easy ways to learn those skills, rather than forcing my child to act
extroverted when in fact she's an introvert. My focus would be in helping
her feel confident rather than making her fit someone else's definition of
extroverted.

Holly
hjshaltz@...
HJS Studio and Shaltz Farm Shetlands and Angora Rabbits
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