My 5-year-old son has always been very friendly, lovable & outgoing with other kids and now he has recently changed. He says he's afraid to talk to kids he doesn't know because they don't know each other. I've recently had a bad experience with my boyfriend. He moved in with me for only a short time & has 2 kids of his own that he has 2 days during the week & every other weekend, so they also lived with us part-time. Anyway, his 5-year-old son started hitting my son, even when his back was turned. I know it was because he didn't like his daddy paying attention or playing with my boy! Anyway my boyfriend would not correct him or even talk to his son about it, so he had to move out! I think the whole situation is part of the reason my son is scared of new kids now! Please advise, I feel so horrible for my little guy & don't want to force him to talk or play with new kids & he's going to start Kindergarden this Fall!

I think it is a perfectly normal phase that most kids go through and right about the time they are about to enter school.
They get shy and I believe it has to do with a fear of rejection. Your boyfriends child may have triggered it but he most likely would have gone through this phase anyway. When children are little they don't care or just don't think about rejection...then when it dawns on them that they may be rejected for any reason....they get shy.
He will work through it.

I also am from NE Philadelphia. How Ironic is that?

Jennie.