Time alone is a precious commodity for parents. Since I’m an introvert—that is, someone who derives energy from solitude—I used to worry that I wouldn’t be up to the task. Anywhere from 16 to 50 percent of the population share my temperament, and for those of us who also have kids, the inherent conflict between the need for solo time and the social demands of parenting could prove problematic.
“Parenting can be particularly challenging for introverts because we lose so much of the alone time we had before our children were born,” Carla Naumburg, Ph.D., a Massachusetts-based clinical social worker and author of the forthcoming How To Stop Losing Your Sh*t With Your Kids, tells mbg. “The free time we once may have used to go for a walk alone or read a book or just sit and stare at the wall is now taken up by these little people who, as much as we love them, can be tremendously demanding, both emotionally and physically.”
For coping tips, I reached out to parenting experts and therapists. Here’s how introverts can raise their kids in a loving fashion without becoming depleted and, possibly, resentful.
You can read the rest of my thoughts in this great article by Dina Cheney over at mbg.
