Originally Posted by Grinity
I think that a lot of good points are being made on this thread, but I still can't get over the title 'bold and dumb child.'

Let's continue on a new thread called: 'My daughter's shyness is breaking my heart' or something similar, ok?
smile

Shyness, and the ability to speak up, is highly variable and what works for 1 child may not work for another. Most everyone is giving advice based on how they perceived growing up shy. There is nothing wrong with giving a variety of responses, no one is entirely wrong, no one is entirely right. But none of us know how this child will react to any of our advice.
My advice is to follow Grinity's suggestion, because mom's reaction will have the biggest impact on how the child works through any shyness issues.