So what is confidence, and how does it relate to shyness or hesitance? For me, confidence is the experience of knowing how you feel and believing it’s okay to be yourself, in that feeling, in that moment. A child who isn’t sure they want to join and observes on the side for a while—this can be a form of confidence. And confidence-building for hesitant kids comes from having caregivers who say, “I’m here. Take your time.”
