Doing Things You Don't Want To Do

I often tell my children that life is full of things we don't want to do, and sometimes I have to remind myself that those words apply to me as well.  I am not a social person by nature.  In crowds, I am quiet and I watch from a safe space where I am unlikely to be approached.  In small group settings, I feel like my small talk is glaringly awkward.  This is fine for me, as I would prefer to be home reading a book, but is not so fine when it comes to setting a good example for my daughters.  It was recently brought to my attention that my older daughter is starting to take after me in this aspect, and this is not ok with me.

Like every parent, I want my kids to be better than me.

This is something I need to actively work on, for both of us.

This week I broke both of us out of our solitary comfort zones.  We went to the mall and took our Easter Bunny pictures with my husband's cousin, wife, and delightful (angelic, really) little baby girl, and then the whole kit and kaboodle of us went out to eat.  It was a blast, and the other couple were so warm and engaging that I never once felt out of place.  They live only a few minutes away from us, and yet this is the first time we've all gotten together, which is a shame.  I hope we do it again, and soon.  But even more than that, I hope I can get over my silly social anxiety and pick up the phone to call her to facilitate another meet up.  And when I do, I will do it with my daughter in the room.  She may not understand, but knowing that she is watching me will help me to overcome my fears.

We also attended an Easter egg hunt at the local school, hosted by a mom's group.  That was slightly less successful of a venture.  My daughter was overwhelmed and seemed quite surprised that there were so many people of her own size there.  She was intrigued by the older kids, friendly and outgoing with the adults, but nervous of her peers.

Fixing this is a priority for me, and will be my mission this summer!  My girls shouldn't ever need to know what it feels like to get tongue tied because some girl compliments their shoes and they don't know how to respond.