Introvert/Extrovert

I am an introvert.  I was voted Quietest Camper once as a kid.  The following year I received the  Bookworm title.  In high school my career vocational teacher diagnosed me as an introvert after I took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test.



I'm not really shy.  I can be quite gregarious and friendly.  I just enjoy my time alone as much as I enjoy being with people.  I need to be alone sometimes, in order to recharge.  Really.  People say, "I need to get together with my girls!"  For me, it's "I need to get together with myself!"  It's funny when I get sympathetic looks when I talk about being alone.  But I digress here.

As a mama I am rarely alone these days (and probably the reason why I can feel drained some days).  I couldn't put my finger on it, but a fellow introvert mama said it succinctly about her exuberant, bouncing Tigger of a son: "My boy forces me to interact with people.  It wears me out!"

I'm not sure about Levi's personality just yet--he swings from being chatty to staring and saying nothing.  He is not a bundle of energy, nor is he the kind that retreats behind his mama's dress.  I think he's in between, but then again, who knows?  We go to playgrounds often and this requires plenty of interaction with strangers.

Douglas said something very interesting the other day.  He said, "We need to be more assertive around other people in front of Levi."  My first reaction was a bit defensive.  But this is me!  There's nothing wrong with being a wallflower!  Then after some thinking (yes, in solitude) I concur.

If Levi is naturally an extrovert, wouldn't he benefit from some modeling, especially since we are Deaf and have an unique way of interacting with people who do not sign?

My loving hearing family made sure they signed with me, but when they interacted with other nonsigners, I missed out.

This was during the minor, seemingly unimportant daily stuff such as ordering food, asking for directions, greeting another stranger in the elevator.  I honestly did not know how to approach a stranger who did not sign.  That came to me way later when I was among other signers who were Deaf and knew how to navigate the world of nonsigners.  By watching, I saw the different strategies people used to communicate.  I also learned that one must have a sense of humor about it.

I think that in a way it worked out just fine for me because of my introverted nature.  But what if I was a bubbly extrovert?  I am sure I would've figured it out eventually, but not without frustration and yearning.

Levi has an advantage--he will learn from his Deaf parents what it is like being signers in a world of nonsigners.  So Douglas has a point.  Plenty of social modeling couldn't hurt.

This wallflower mama will hitch her introverted pants up and start being more assertive.  Yikes.

As long as Levi can see how he could get a word in edgewise.