"I'm fine with just her, and her friend from down the road........anymore kids around and I literally freeze up. I can't handle it."
Don't berate yourself. I have a passel of them and while I love my own, I am a nervous wreck around other people's children, so much so that my grandneice commented that one would think I was childless.
Just a matter of temperament.
EXACTLY.
The girl down the road, and even her younger sister who is just a toddler, are fine for me. I've spent a lot of time with both of those girls with their mom around, who is a good friend of mine, and so I'm comfortable having both in my charge when needed.
I can't do chaperoning of school or girl scout trips, I'm a wreck around that many little kids. Teenagers I can deal with a whole passel of them, but not the under 10 crowd.