Paper Parents Pop Quiz #7 (PPPQ7)

Here's the scenario. The family is at a birthday party for a local boy. He's turning four and the party is at a kids' gym with tons of activities. Lots of kids around and parents and the usual.

God damn Avery reminds me of myself. Perfectly. She acts exactly as I would. Running around and engaging when there's an activity she likes. Being timid and shy the next minute. So shy sometimes that she doesn't want to join in to some of the activities. She's always been a cautious child but I'm dying for her to break out of that a bit. The kids are all playing in the middle of the room and I'm trying to having her join in but all she says is, "I don't want to..."

I'm in a quandary. I want her to join the other kids but I don't want to force her. I'm sitting right on the fence on this one. Push her a bit past her boundaries to show her she can or let her develop on her own when she's ready...so what do I do?

A) Don't push at all. If she wants to join in she will. If not, she'll develop at her own pace and hopefully time will make her a little more daring...

B) Suggest a number of times that it would be fun. Push a little bit but let her make the call in the end according to her comfort level...

C) Make her join in to some of the events even if she doesn't want to. Odds are she'll really enjoy it if she just breaks through the initial resistance barrier. Hold her hand, hold BOTH hands if need be but push her to join in a bit and in the process expand those boundaries...

D) Pull her aside. Call her a "sissy," and insist that she either joins in with the other kids or none of them will ever come to any of her parties. Make sure she knows she'll be celebrating her "Sweet-16" at a table for one in the local diner. Then make her join in anyway and ask her in a loud voice "why aren't you more like other kids here???" Embarrass her a bit. That's what dads are for...

And the answer is?

B

But wouldn't D be fun? No, B was the call....I asked a few times, let her know that I'd be there with her. I pushed a little bit but in the end she wasn't comfortable and at 3 years old she gets to make that call. I figure let her get to 4 and then it's time to drop "D" on her ass....