My DD is 2.7 and a lovely little girl. Yes, she’s quiet and she approaches situations cautiously. She’s never been one to jump straight into soft play, she will watch for a little before going in (but she does go in!)
She’s a slow burner and to me, that’s just her personality and we allow her to warm up at her own pace. But other people seem to think it’s a negative trait.
For example, we went to the farm on the weekend. I was calling her name to say slow down on the way in, and an old man heard me and approached her and said ‘DD, can I have a high five’ and she said erm.. no and ran back to me, which I was pleased about! My mum got embarrassed and said to the man ‘oh she’s such a funny thing, I’m sorry’ as if she had done something wrong.
Then we bumped into another little girl from her childminders and they were playing, but the nan of the other little girl was trying to film them to send to the little girls mum and so DD was a little apprehensive and the nan said ‘gosh she’s very quiet isn’t she’ over and over. I said well actually she isn’t with people she’s comfortable around!
I’m so tired of feeling like I have to make excuses. She isn’t rude, and says please/thank you, she just is apprehensive of new situations. Is that really so bad? That’s only two examples but the list is endless.