SD10 is here for summer visitation. We only have her for a few weeks in the summer, Christmas break and spring break. Every time she comes there is NO improvement and I really don’t know what to do or if there is anything I can do.

She does NOT talk. For the week she has been here she has probably said 10 words on her own. The rest of the time it is us asking her questions and prodding her to say something. She will answer questions, but in as few words as possible. If we ask what she wants to eat/do/watch? ….all we get is a shoulder shrug. The BM just says “she’s a very quiet child”. . The only time I have seen her act normal is when we had a friend over to play with her.

Some of you probably wish your Skids didn’t speak, but it is seriously annoying and I really feel its disrespectful. If she is shy, shouldn’t that get better with time? I have taken her shopping and we had a girls day of getting our nails done. The BM said she loved her nails, but there is no way I would have known that because the kid looks miserable all the time. Last night when she didn’t eat her dinner, DH asked her if she was full or if she didn’t like it, she said she was full… then she texted BM that it was nasty. Apparently everything I make is nasty.

Do I just ignore her? Do I keep trying? It really makes everyone miserable while she is here, because we can’t seem to do or say anything to make her happy or not “shy”. Its like a having a spy in the room with us, she listens very intently to everything (probably to report it to BM) but will not interact with anyone. She is the same with her dad, maybe a tiny bit better but not really. He has told her numerous times that she needs to speak up and let us know what she needs/wants and that the silent thing doesn’t work…nothing. BM and her family have done a lot of bad-mouthing, is it just that? I’m just really at a loss and so is my husband…..