How I Made Peace With Being an Introvert - And How It Helped Me as a New Parent

Do you think that being called an introvert is a good thing or a characteristic about which to be ashamed?

I have a piece on a website that I love called Role/Reboot: Make Sense of Men and Women. It’s an online magazine that features a lot of amazing writers and public figures who use their own stories to discuss culture and gender roles. Definitely check it out. It’s a beautiful site.

My piece is about my recognition of my own personality type, or temperament, as an introvert. And it’s also about how this awareness has helped me in my parenting.

Temperament is such a tricky topic. Being aware of your personality style can be reassuring and help you understand yourself and your strengths better. However, it’s easy to use it as an excuse not to challenge ourselves or our kids because temperament might make some things difficult for us.

[Note: This post was re-posted on the Australian site, Mamamia. It’s interesting to see all the Australian comments to it. And the fact that they changed me from a “mom” to a “mum.”]

Do you think that you’re an introvert or extrovert? Has it changed over time, or since you became a parent? What do you like about your own personality style? What do you wish you could change?