The Soft Side

Dreamsicle and I attended a Mommy and Me playgroup on Friday. There were 11 other little girls that are now with their forever families present. 12 girls total. Some older, some younger. Guess whose daughter is the most timid?

As a seasoned mother of three boys, I am used to my children just jumping into new situations and going for it. With Chester and U*Haul, no matter who they were with, or how long they had known the other kids, they would make friends and soon have everyone following their lead. Fear? Ha! They had none.

Not with our girl. She still hangs back, either wanting me to hold her or not venturing too far away. She broke into tears a few times when she dared leave my side only to be ignored by the other little girls that she wanted to play with. I know that some of this is the age. Side by side play is common, little scuffles are to be expected. But my heart broke for her.

When we visited her preschool for their open house, one of the things I noticed was that she was always wanting to be near her teachers and parapro's. Although she could tell me the names of some of the other kids in her class, she was really more into being near the adults. Remember our decision to pull her out of dance/gymnastics? Same thing.

It is times like this when I wonder what she went through the first 11 months of her life. She feels "safe" with adults but not with other children. Did she learn that fighting for what she wanted never gave her the results she needed so it was easier to just back off and wait for the left overs? It frightens me to think of her being so timid as she gets older. Let's face it, girls can be brutal to each other.

I really need a way to help her begin feeling more comfortable with her peers, either that or I am hiring a bodyguard to protect her.