So we’re all trying to raise superheroes. Girls and boys. Children that are confident and caring, brilliant and brave. No pressure there then! We all do what we can to be the best possible versions of ourselves in the hope that it will rub off on our unassuming offspring.
When my eldest daughter was painfully shy (and a bit screamy) at a 4th birthday party on Sunday, I tried really hard not to make it about me and show my frustration that she was the only one not joining in. After all, it wasn’t about me at all. It was about her having a tough time. She needed my help, not my disappointment. (Even though I did indeed feel so disappointed that she didn’t seem to be having much fun after having talked about it for days….)
Then good old ‘mummy guilt’ reared her stupid head and I started thinking that maybe it was my fault she had been so sad. Perhaps, as her mother, I had somehow failed to equip her with the right tools or social skills required to hold her own in a room full of princesses and superheroes? Maybe it was my fault she was having such a seemingly shitty time when she should have been having fun?
Of course I realise this was all rather melodramatic and that she’s just a little more introverted and cautious than other children. And that’s not altogether a bad thing! When the last guest had left, she picked up her fairy wings and wand and danced like a crazy person with her little birthday friend. We all need to go easy on ourselves. We are doing our best after all. Any tips for how I can support my little introvert better would be greatly appreciated! Thanks @coolmompicks for the super pic.
