Lucid

The introverted child

She says "Nathan sure doesn't say a lot. It's a Grisop trait. A lot of those boys are weird like that. Melissa said his teacher wrote on his report card that he needs to speak up and participate more in class."

Too me, It's always been obvious that young Nathan is an introvert, and i always thought that was pretty cool. But to everyone else, he's "weird like that" and apparently his teacher thinks he needs to be more extroverted.

Because being an introvert is a bad thing, right?

Introversion is not a bad thing. It is not a defect. It's not something to be cured. It's simply a different personality type, a different way of interacting with the world that has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

I was one such child. Just like Nathan. I was extremely empathetic. I didn't care for making a lot of friends. I preferred to play alone, making up imaginary scenarios in which to play with my toys. I hardly ever needed to be disciplined; a stern word was enough to make me cry. I'd ask questions with the sort of sincerity you’d expect from a philosopher.

My Mother and step father thought there was something wrong with me. Because I liked to play alone in my room. Because I didn't talk a lot. Because I was so sensitive and I cried a lot. And it was hard for me because I, in turn, thought there was something wrong with me. I spent a lot of my youth trying to fit in and be like everyone else. To be more extroverted. And it was hard for me. Really hard. It wasnt until I learned about introversion in my high school psychology class that I was able to start understanding myself, and to start learning how to be okay with being "different."

It's important for the parent to understand their child so they can help their child understand themselves. This can be difficult for some parents, especially those toward the far end of the extrovert scale, as they have to understand that introverts simply experience the world in a different way.

But never expect them to be something they are not. The great analyst Karl Jung makes it very clear that the way for introverts to win is to become more consciously introverted rather than to try and be something they are not. Every spiritual teaching in the world would agree ... find yourself and be yourself.