crazy hair day

On the days that I worry that my oldest will never come out of her shell . . . these are the kind of pictures I like to look at. From the time she was little, she has been my quiet and reserved child. When I'd drop her off in the nursery at church, I'd get comments all the time about how easy going she was and how good she was . . . as she got older, those comments turned into, "She is so helpful and such a good listener and she's SO QUIET!" I guess it's nice to have a quiet child in Sunday School class when you have a roomful of 20 kids and a few energetic boys among the bunch. It's nice to have a girl who will listen and not disrupt story time.

But it's not so fun to have a 7-year old who has a hard time answering the cashier at the grocery store when she asks, "Where did you get that beautiful red hair?" If I had a dime for the number of times my daughter has been asked that question, I'd be rich. Has she ever been able to answer the question? Not even once! We have role played how to answer a cashier numerous times and I have yet to see her answer on her own--she has answered when I've given her a nudge in the back--but it's never been much above a whisper!

I know that God has created her the way she is, and I LOVE her gentle and quiet spirit. She is truly a joy to raise and a huge blessing to me. So, it's on those days when I worry that she will always be shy that I look at these pictures. She has a wild side to her when she is around those she is comfortable with! She talks to my adult friends that she is around frequently. I know she has it in her to carry on a conversation. I just have to remind myself to be patient and give her time. And most importantly, I have to remind myself not to compare her to other 7-year-olds that can recite poetry in front of an audience of parents or carry on a lengthy conversation with a cashier. I have friends whose children are much more verbal that tell me a verbal child can be exhausting . . . all those questions about life!!! : )

In case you are wondering about the crazy hair . . . the homeschool group we are a part of offers extra curricular classes two afternoons a week and we had "Crazy Hair Day" a couple of weeks ago. Both girls LOVED getting ready for this!

Even though Paige doesn't love talking in front of people she doesn't know well, she doesn't mind the attention she gets from looking funny! Several of the kids talked about how crazy her hair was for days afterwards. : )

Have you had a shy child that has eventually come out of their shell?