I liked Nurse Jenna's post about Birth Plan vs. Birth Wish.  I didn't type up a birth plan for Delaney's birth because I kind of thought it might be a lot like planning a wedding (which I HATED).  With a wedding - the more you plan, the more things can go awry.  It's the same with a birth.  The more of a set idea you have in your head of how the birth will go, the more chances you have to be disappointed. 

With a wedding, no matter what goes wrong, you will still end up married at the end of the day.  And with your child's birth, your midwife/doctor will do whatever it takes to get your baby born in the safest, healthiest way possible. 

And isn't that the whole point?

We had such a great summer day today.  I took the kids strawberry picking in the morning and the strawberries were perfect!  I swear that nothing on Earth tastes as good as a fresh strawberry that is all warm from sitting in the sun.  Both kids had a blast, running around with juice running down their chins. 

Then we went out for ice cream with Dad after dinner.  Life doesn't get much better than that.

My kids are shy, especially my 4 year-old daughter.  In new situations, she likes to take a while to observe things before jumping in to talk to someone new or participate in the activity.  I never really thought much about it since I was shy as a kid too.  And I think I turned out ok! 

But recently, I've run into several people along the way who think shyness is something that needs to be addressed in occupational/speech therapy.  They ask if I've discussed her shyness with a pediatrician.  They ask if I'm worried.  Or they are offended when my daughter doesn't instantly say "hi" and give them a hug. 

Seriously???  People get offended when a 4 year-old won't say "hi"?  IT'S A FOUR YEAR-OLD!  Someone even suggested I make a sticker chart to reward her for saying "hi" to new people. 

It just interests me.  I grew up in a family where a bunch of the members were shy.  I thought shyness was pretty common in kids.  But recently, I've been hearing more and more negative comments about it and people trying to suggest ways to "fix it".  

Are your kids shy?