Feelin' Safe At Safety Town

My son is 5. He is super shy. So shy that I had to volunteer to teach Sunday School so that he wouldn't cry for a whole hour every Sunday. He is so shy that I don't waste my money on too many extra activities. He cries through them. He can barely tell you his name if you ask.

But today, today was different. I dropped, yes dropped him off at Safety Town. There were no tears. No holding on to me as I walked away. Nothing. I almost didn't know what to do. They didn't even have my cell phone number to call me if he had a fit. I was pretty uneasy for the whole two hours today that he was away.

When I went to pick him up, he was smiling. I really couldn't believe it. At lunch he asked how often he has Safety Town. I told him every day for a week. He yelled out "Yes!" I say "Amen."

Shy or snotty?

I have a neighbor that won't say hi to me. It is really ticking me off. When she first moved in, I would wave and try to be friendly. I sent over a basket of chocolates and a welcome note. I didn't hear from her.

Two years ago, this shy neighbor was locked out of her house, wearing her bathrobe while holding her new born in the winter. She came over and we spent about 45 minutes waiting for her husband to come home from work to let her in. We talked and she was really nice.

But today, as I rolled my trash cans to the curb, there she was, doing the same. She was rolling the trash cans to the curb. OK. She can hear my trash cans. I hear hers. She will not look up. I am dying to say hello. Nothing.

Sometimes I feel too shy to say hello. I understand the fear. This has been going on for years. Would you just look up and acknowledge that we are both humans living similar lives?

I know that this is my problem. It isn't really a problem. I just think about it daily when I see her and wondered how others have handled this sort of situation. Should I yell out her name and give her a big wave? Should I just start ignoring her? Should I let my dog loose and hope she ends up in her yard? What to do?