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Raising the Shy Child
Christine Fonseca
Prufrock Press Inc.
paperback, $16.95, 223 pp.
ISBN-13: 978-1-61821-398-3
Although this book was not written only for gifted children, shyness does apply to all, including adults. Christina Fonseca is a recognized author of gifted children, so her background covers a wide scope.
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is called a challenging beast by Dr. Fonseca. When I asked various people about their school experiences, I was shocked to learn how many suffered with SAD in their early years. It is hard to be young, it is hard to be gifted, and it is hard to be human. And so books are written to help. Thank goodness!
Because this is a Prufrock Press Inc. book, you can expect the usual format that is so wise and easy to follow. After pages that give the main ideas, there are worksheets, questionnaires, tip sheets, and Chalk talk for teachers. If you really want to solve a problem, just follow the yellow brick road. It’s all here for you:
Part I When Shyness Becomes a Problem
Part II Feeling Safe Inside Your Skin
Part III Creating Safe Havens
Part IV Social Anxiety
A warning: when reading this book, if your children are grown, you will feel guilty for not having been a more perfect parent. I once apologized to my child for this, and she answered that by apologizing I made her feel that what she became was not good enough. I learned that lesson and never did so again. Don’t make that mistake yourself!
Elaine S. Wiener is Associate Editor for Book Reviews for the Gifted Education Communicator and can be reached at 17elaine@att.net.