I have one child who is an introvert and every once in a while, I need a reminder of how to parent an introvert. Because I am brushing up on my knowledge, I figure I’d share the tips here with you all as well. (Also, following these tips are the tips for caring for an extrovert.)
Here is the sage old advice from an often circulated article, reblogged, and reshared so many times the original author is unknown. I also like the 15 tips I found here!
HOW TO CARE FOR AN INTROVERT CHILD
1. Respect their need for privacy
2. Never embarrass them in public
3. Let them observe first in new situations
4. Give them time to think. Don’t demand instant answers.
5. Don’t interrupt them.
6. Give them advanced notice of expected changes in their lives
7. Give them 15 minutes warnings to finish whatever they are doing before calling them to dinner or moving on to the next activity.
8. Reprimand them privately.
9. Teach them new skills privately, rather than in public
10. Enable him to find one friend who has similar interests and abilities. Encourage this relationship even if the friend moves.
11. Do not push them to make lots of friends.
12. Respect their Introversion. Don’t try to make them Extroverts.
From the Tumblr, The Daily Huff, that posted the above came this post for Extroverts:
- Respect their need to share, to ‘talk it out.’ They get their energy from other people.
- Just as with introverts, never embarrass them in public. If you do embarrass them in public, go along as much as is reasonable if they play it off like a joke.
- Don’t be surprised if they dive into a new situation headfirst. Don’t freak out either if they flounder a little. They’ll find their way.
- Extroverts blurt. It’s the nature of the beast. Most try to leaven it with charm, but try to be patient when they don’t.
- Expect interruptions that may seem rude, to some. Most of the time, they mean well.
- Build surprise into your lives together. Most extroverts love the thrill of not knowing what’s up – as long as it’s positive.
- Be prepared for what looks like ADD. The organically outgoing among us feed off the environment around them. They are often the best multi-taskers around, so understand that they are often paying much more attention to you than you think they are.
- A flashover temper goes with the extroverted personality. The bad thing is it can look like a much more severe storm than it is. The good thing is it’s over quickly.
- Many extroverts live for the intuitive leap. They reach for it. If teaching an extrovert something new, have patience with them jumping ahead of you.
- They will always have lots of friends. But most extroverts have a core of best friends, and their loyalty can be fierce and aggressive if they feel the need to defend those friends. As with so many aspects of the extroverted personality, you may have to be patient with this.
- They love compliments, but can usually see right through insincere flattery. Well-timed encouragement, though, can help an extrovert soar.
- Respect their extroversion. Don’t try to pin them to your board or cage them. And do them a favor, if you are not yourself outgoing, extroverted – gently but persistently remind them to read something like this as often as possible. They probably will need the reminders.
Share |
