Extrovert- or Not
I met up with a college friend earlier this summer and she put words to many things I had been feeling lately, but hadn't thought of the words to go along with them. One of the wisest, and most true things she said, was the biggest trouble she faced as being a parent, is that her introvert self, was forced to be somewhat of an extrovert. I understood her completely. Well, somewhat so.
I'm not a complete introvert, I'm a teacher. I like to be the center of attention in my classroom. I like being the entertainer. However, once I leave school- I require downtime. I require a significant amount of time to unwind and gather myself. As my children get older, I am forced to be more extroverted- not only because they require more interaction with me, but also because we hang out with their friends and families a lot more now.
Doug is under the misguided impression that during the summer, I lay around all day and do nothing. This is somewhat of an issue for us every summer. He can't understand why I don't get hardly anything accomplished, and I feel annoyed with him, because doggone it! I entertained all day- that is work!!!
While work to him is: painting his storage building, mowing the lawn, working in the garden, and other labor intensive things, work to me is: entertaining my children, visiting with the parents of their friends, and going out and about. By the time they go to bed . . . I am exhausted! Ok no, I didn't work in the garden, I didn't mow the lawn, I didn't paint the storage building, but I had to interact with people all day!!!!!
All you extroverts reading this are completely confused. You have no idea why that is exhausting. You love being with people all day. You thrive off the interaction. My introvert friends, are like, "AMEN! Interacting with people is exhausting!" It doesn't matter that I enjoy the people I am with. It doesn't matter that I am truly interested in them. After awhile, it is too much. There's too much movement, sound, and stimulation. I can always tell when I've had too much, I become snippy and crabby. I often think, "Good grief! If I could just get a few minutes alone!!!!!"
Doug wisely realized I was a woman on the brink and gave me a day without kids. Did I do anything fun? No. I ran errands- for 4 hours. But- I didn't talk to anyone. I didn't call anyone to meet me for lunch, I ate lunch on my own. Was I lonely? Hell no. It was lovely. Do I want to eat alone every day? No. I love my family. I love my friends. I love to be with them . . . in small doses. ;-)
I'm not a complete introvert, I'm a teacher. I like to be the center of attention in my classroom. I like being the entertainer. However, once I leave school- I require downtime. I require a significant amount of time to unwind and gather myself. As my children get older, I am forced to be more extroverted- not only because they require more interaction with me, but also because we hang out with their friends and families a lot more now.
Doug is under the misguided impression that during the summer, I lay around all day and do nothing. This is somewhat of an issue for us every summer. He can't understand why I don't get hardly anything accomplished, and I feel annoyed with him, because doggone it! I entertained all day- that is work!!!
While work to him is: painting his storage building, mowing the lawn, working in the garden, and other labor intensive things, work to me is: entertaining my children, visiting with the parents of their friends, and going out and about. By the time they go to bed . . . I am exhausted! Ok no, I didn't work in the garden, I didn't mow the lawn, I didn't paint the storage building, but I had to interact with people all day!!!!!
All you extroverts reading this are completely confused. You have no idea why that is exhausting. You love being with people all day. You thrive off the interaction. My introvert friends, are like, "AMEN! Interacting with people is exhausting!" It doesn't matter that I enjoy the people I am with. It doesn't matter that I am truly interested in them. After awhile, it is too much. There's too much movement, sound, and stimulation. I can always tell when I've had too much, I become snippy and crabby. I often think, "Good grief! If I could just get a few minutes alone!!!!!"
Doug wisely realized I was a woman on the brink and gave me a day without kids. Did I do anything fun? No. I ran errands- for 4 hours. But- I didn't talk to anyone. I didn't call anyone to meet me for lunch, I ate lunch on my own. Was I lonely? Hell no. It was lovely. Do I want to eat alone every day? No. I love my family. I love my friends. I love to be with them . . . in small doses. ;-)
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