Celebrate your Introverted Child

Yes, you read the above headline right, celebrate your introverted child. Celebrate? When all that people tell you is that you should try and make the child more social and forthcoming?

It is funny how parents with an introverted child are always told to push them to be more talkative. If only they knew that it is actually a blessing—not a curse.

Being shy is different

More often than not, introversion is confused with shyness. In fact, they both are very different traits.

a) Shyness is a form of anxiety, wherein the person desists from opening up or responding because he or she is afraid of being judged or criticized.

b) Introverts on the other hand have a preference for the quiet or just like to be among a select few people. Unlike people who appear to make friends easily, introverts find a hectic social scene extremely exhausting.

Shyness is stressful, introversion is not. So it is important to differentiate this aspect, before one tries to club them together.

Advantage of introversion

In an age where being heard is considered the key to success and moving ahead in life, you must be wondering how having an introverted child can be advantageous. Most introverted kids have a sensitive disposition and have the ability for longer hours of concentration on a given task, than a child who loves to be outdoors.

Longer periods of concentration, coupled with an inherent need to be a little cautious, is perhaps one of the best aspects of the wonder years, since they get into less trouble.

An introverted child listens better and hence has an enhanced understanding of their surroundings and the social cues. No wonder, some of the best musicians and scientists have been introverts while growing up. A lot of successful businessmen are happy introverts.

They do not rush about

We need these introverts, who have the inclination and the disposition to step back and smell the roses as they say. They are not in a tearing hurry to immediately react to stimuli, but would like to ponder and mull things over.

After all, neither could a poem like Daffodils have been written nor the speed of light discovered by someone rushing to meet his friends from one place to another. Can you imagine Constable capturing the Essex countryside, between attending parties?

There is no doubt the world would be a very boring place if there were only cautious watchers, but there is no denying we need them. Some of the most successful and happy partnerships—including marriages—are between introverts and extroverts.

Conclusion – Introverted child

Since the world is in need of both the introverts and the extroverts, take pride in your child if he or she happens to be an introvert.

Appreciate and reward your introverted child, even if others do not, for it is from their chosen few that the introverted child would need the encouragement. The chosen few for the introvert would certainly include his immediate circle, the closest being his or her parents.