Quietly Living in a Loud World

Being raised by extroverts taught me how not to raise an introvert

I am an introvert. Contrary to popular opinion, introversion isn’t shyness, anti-socialness, social awkwardness, or rudeness. It’s simply a matter of response to stimulation. Introverts look within for answers and fuel. They socialize, but after a while, all the noise starts to drain. Introverts need quiet to reflect and recharge. For me (and other introverts), it’s exhausting to be “on” all the time. Extroverts seem to have difficulty understanding this because, for them, they get recharged through socializing. Thankfully, I’ve accepted my introversion, but it was a significant problem throughout my childhood. I should be more precise. I never had a problem with being an introvert. However, my dad and other adults had a severe problem with it, and because he had a problem with it, he made it my problem. Back then, words like introvert and extrovert weren’t used or understood as they are today. Instead, they used words like shy, anti-social, weird, and different to describe me. I’ll accept weird and different (I take those as compliments), but I was never shy or anti-social.

My dad was an extrovert. He lived for socializing. Even when we didn’t have money and lived in small apartments, our home was entertainment central. It served as the hub for get-togethers of all kinds. His entertaining wasn’t limited to weekends. He’d invite everyone to our home — family and friends alike, any day of the week, fancying themselves a grand ole time well into the wee hours of the morning. I’m sure it was quite a shock to his system to have a child who didn’t care to have a large group of friends and was content to sit alone in a room reading. He constantly accused me of being anti-social and often asked, “What’s wrong with her?” It’s not that I didn’t like or know how to socialize. I just enjoyed quiet time alone as much, if not more. After a certain amount of time around others, I needed to retreat to my own corner of the world where I could wind down. Even (and especially) during family gatherings, I could be found in a separate part of the house, away from everyone else. To this day, my family talks about finding me asleep in the coat room during a New Year’s Eve party. Once when we were kids, my cousin Kim babysat me and my cousin Jason. We were outside playing with the neighborhood kids…

Related posts:

Chrissy Teigen lost her son. Meghan Markle had a miscarriage. Elliot Page is transgender. Jen Hatmaker got divorced. Each of these stories matters. I have heard a lot of commentary from people, most…

Do you want to boost your online presence and trustworthiness? We are here for you. We can help you to get positive reviews on Trustpilot. It is one of the best review websites in the digital World…

As a stay-at-home mom I found myself faced with a dilemma that many women nowadays are familiar with. Do I stay at home with my little one? Or do I get a job at the cost of child-care…