COMING OUT OF HIS SHELL

Shy smile :)

My son is a shy one. He always has been. At first he was painfully shy and then he started coming around a bit. And by a bit, I mean just a tiny tiny bit. Last year his sister's school had a fall festival (Miss Crazy) and literally all he did was eat and walk through one of the rooms (with me) that had interesting things to see/touch/smell etc.  You could see he wanted to go to the bouncy house, but there were just too many other kids there.  His sister got her face painted but he refused. We spent a lot of time in the hallway just sitting there waiting for everyone else to have fun. I didn't mind really because I have dealt with shyness my whole life whether it is with one of my kids or myself.

I am wondering if this year will be different and if it will be majorly different or just a little bit.  This year, the boy is part of the school. This is his turf and he loves going there everyday. He has become a bit more brave, he will actually play with other kids and go into the tubes a bit at McDonalds on the very rare occasion we go. So this year we could have a very fun, very busy fall festival.  I hope we do.

I love seeing him come out of his shell bit by bit. He used to walk out of the school looking like he was all alone in this world and scared to death.  The last couple of times I've picked him up he has come out like he owns the place.  Yesterday he got one of his weather related bloody noses, which usually means a freak out and I often wondered how he would handle it at school.  Well he basically calmly walked to the office and let the kind ladies take care of him (The nurse was gone). I'm so proud of him. But then again I'm proud of him even if he doesn't participate in things with other kids and even if he freaks out sometimes. But oh the feeling of watching him do things he was afraid to do before is just amazing. It's really like a high that can't be beat.

Storm damage -
like this all over town :(

I know he says he is excited about the fall festival and the bouncy house (if they have one this year). It's all stuff I've heard before.  But this year there is a good chance it could be true. I guess we'll find out this afternoon, after school when all of us pack up in the car (except the Sophomore - those situations are just a bit too much for her sometimes) and head out to the school for Dinner, games, and a pumpkin patch.  It's really starting to feel like fall around here. The leaves are changing and it is beautiful out (But MANY of the trees in town were damaged by the recent snow storm so there is a sadness over the area). Here is hoping that this will be the first of great fall activities for my little man. Whom I hope someday grows into a
confident, handsome big man...but I hope he keeps just a smidge of that shyness, an inkling of that innocence.

Until Next Time...Watching our kids grow and change is amazing and we need to remember to step back and enjoy it.  Don't just let it pass by or we might miss something important.