That's our boy.

"That's our boy."  The last three words Mr. Curly said to me this morning as he walked out the door.  Yes, he did tell me he loved me and kissed me goodbye, but then, as he was walking to the door, I said "Curly Boy wore this shirt ONCE and it is stained irreparably." 
That's our boy.

Curly Boy is amazing. 
He can make anyone smile in under 60 seconds. 
He has the capacity to run circles around a hardware store for an hour, shrieking at the top of his lungs, and then instantly change to sitting quietly in a cart, sorting paint chip cards. 
He desires to be brave, but doesn't enjoy leaving his sister behind, so will refuse to do many things (go down a big slide, climb a wall, etc.) if Curly Girl says "I don't think we can do that."  (This causes us concern, and has instituted a standard warning of "Let your brother answer first" in many new situations).
He ADORES reading one subject at a time - one week it is all dinosaur books, the next it is all fish books.

But this morning, by 7:30, he was already crying that he didn't want to go to library story time.  He refuses to sit in a room, with 15 other 3 year olds, and let a very nice lady read books to him and help him make a craft.  He'll do it if I'm there.  He'll do it if Curly Girl goes with him.  But he will not do it himself.  He'll jump into a 4 foot pool, nearly drown, and then cry that we make him wait to go down the water slide, but he won't brave a library story time.

I have no idea what to do with him.  He has begged me for a year to attend library story time, and now he refuses to do it.  Our library program gives out small prizes for every five books read.  I have told Curly Boy he won't get his prizes if he doesn't go to class.  He has decided he will just read without prizes.  Which is actually really ok, that's what I prefer, but he's doing it so he won't have to go to class.

It is ok that he's shy.  I was too.  A big part of me just wants to cuddle him and keep him home.  And another part of me really really wants him to be comfortable with other people so that I can lead worship without having to watch him out of the corner of one eye while he plays on the front pew.  I want him to be comfortable with other people so I can enjoy my MOPS group time, knowing that he is also enjoying his group and learning something.  I want him to be able to move up to the next level of Sunday School next year, which would take him out of my class.  I want school to be enjoyable for him - because I remember the dread I faced it with each year.

But how far do you push?  He's obviously not as outgoing as Curly Girl and Baby.  How far do you push without causing damage?  I just don't know.

That's our boy.  A lovable, cuddly, crazy, wildebeest, happy child, with a serious dislike of strangers.