excruciating shyness?

looking at the posts in the blog, it may appear as if the bean is some sainted cherub. far from it.

but actually, i don't think her behaviour differs much from most toddlers her age, save for one thing: her excruciating shyness in a group setting.

she's usually fine when she meets new people on a one on one basis (in my arms), but she seems frightened of group situations. e.g. when we enter her music class or her montessori playgroup she is always hiding behind my legs (or dh's), or tugging at my hand and dragging her feet, reluctant to go in. it takes nearly 1.5 hours of the montessori playgroup before she warms up and is ready to respond to people, so that by the end of the session she is then capable of waving goodbye, going up to other children with gestures of affection, and saying "bye".

i have found that she is most uncomfortable around strange adults. e.g. our new cleaners (whom we will only see once a fortnight), the postman...strangers on the street who want to comment on her cuteness etc. i guess this is also a good thing as we don't want her to be too trusting of strangers!