Glad to know I'm not the only one. I had to give up my paper route (mid 1980s) because I was too shy to collect. I could get up at 5:30 a.m. every day and spend an hour biking hard to deliver the papers rain or shine, but I collections freaked me out, even though all my customers were nice people.
The crazy thing is that it never occurred to me to discuss this with my parents, nor (AFAIK) did they ever consider having me see a counselor. I just kept on carrying a private shame about my cowardice.
I really hope that parents are better these days about noticing when kids are privately suffering with various neurological / psychological issues, and that more resources are available for helping.
My anxieties have made me super sensitive to those of my kids. I am careful not to project onto them. I'm also always paying close attention to discover any moments of "you just need someone to notice you're struggling."
The crazy thing is that it never occurred to me to discuss this with my parents, nor (AFAIK) did they ever consider having me see a counselor. I just kept on carrying a private shame about my cowardice.
I really hope that parents are better these days about noticing when kids are privately suffering with various neurological / psychological issues, and that more resources are available for helping.