With the rampant explosion of books and advice and opinions about parenting these days, it's amazing any of us can get out of bed and kiss our kids without a compass and a slide rule. Silicon Valley Moms Blog has an excellent post about knowing when to go out and when to go inside for advice and counsel when it comes to raising a shy or slow-to-warm child.
Parents are so quickly blamed and judged for their children's behavior that it's sometimes easy to forget to factor in temperament and other very real causes of behavior challenges. In a day and age when people are very willing to offer opinions and advice it's especially difficult NOT to take responsibility for every little tantrum, shyness, hitting, (god forbid) swearing episode of our children.
Jill's piece at Silicon Valley Moms Blog is touching and real. She describes her first child as a naturally well-adjusted secure kid who was followed by her second very shy child who has a much harder time adjusting to new people and situations. She reminds us to keep an open mind and non-judgmental attitude when it comes to kids and their parents. And I plan to heed her advice.
