<p>"It's also important to get kids "used" to using the phone properly.... calling businesses and asking if they have....(whatever). ..."</p>
<p>I did similar things in helping my once extremely shy younger son get over it.</p>
<p>When he was 14, he wanted to apply for a job at the public library. I made him call to get the information. We role played, I encouraged him, and then he was so anxious that it literally took him 30 minutes to get himself together to make the call, which he made in another room with the door shut.</p>
<p>Before he heard about what the job entailed, he was terrified that he'd have to answer the phone. He feared not knowing how to help people. I don't think he was that reassured by my telling him that the library would train him, but after he got the job, he did find out that indeed, he'd have to answer the phone, and yes, they'd train him.</p>
<p>He survived and even thrived in that one-month job and little by little became more comfortable on the phone. In fact, yesterday when our land phone power lines fell, my son (now 18) volunteered to call the phone company and had absolutely no problem making the call. In fact, he did it so easily that I think he's forgotten how anxious he used to get about doing things like that.</p>
<p>cameliasinensis: I think it's common for shy people to worry about whether others are judging them. Truth is, most people are far more concered with themselves than worrying about judging others about minor things like phone calls. Shy people are typically far more criticial of themselves than others would be.</p>
<p>Case in point: Lots of people even with very healthy families spend time reading by themselves over the weekend. This can occur in families of avid readers or introverts. Also, there are people with very dysfunctional families who spend plenty of time interacting with their family members. An example are families with alcoholism who spend their weekends getting drunk together.</p>