God Gave Me an Introvert and an Extrovert

God gave me an introverted daughter and an extroverted daughter.

Some may say, “Both your daughters are introverted…”

I understand why you say that, but that would not be correct. Both of them are shy.  Shyness has a bit to do with personality, but it has more to do with fear. Fear of being out of familiar surroundings, or fear of new people, etc.

My extroverted daughter is 5 and loves to go out and play with the neighbours, she loves visiting people, she is a social butterfly, gets bored easily, very easily, …she has difficulty playing alone, and will bound into any room at top speed and light it up with her infectious laugh and bright smile. She loves to be held, and has energy to burn. She is not fond of learning or sitting or reading. She doesn’t like school very much. She has a lot of friends, and who her friends are, is constantly changing everyday. She also loves the spotlight.  She is constantly wanting to have her picture taken, and is always asking me record videos of her up to her crazy antics.

My introverted daughter is 8. She is just like me. She likes playing with the neighbour kids, but prefers smaller groups, or one on one time. She likes visiting family, but will steal away with just one or two cousins to get away from the group.  She is not a social butterfly, and would rather sit in her bed and read a book or play a video game than go to a party. She is artistic, a thinker, and intelligent. She rarely bounds into rooms at top speed, although it has been known to happen. She also has an infectious smile and laugh, but it only comes out around those she trusts, or if she is completely comfortable…like at the father daughter evening at Gems…I had no idea who that awkwardly loud and outgoing child was! She loves learning, reading, and she just told me she does not understand why people don’t like school!

I see myself in her. While it is kinda cool to have a little clone of myself, it is painful to watch her go through the same challenges that I did as a child. We both are perfectionists.  We both have all or nothing attitudes.  We can both be self defeating.  As a parent, I can relate to the introvert more than the extrovert.

God knew what he was doing giving me the introvert first. I understand the introverted one.  I know how to deal with her, because we have similar personalities.  I know what makes her tick.  Discipline with her is easy. I thought I was figuring this whole parenting thing out…then God said, “Here is something different.” And He gave us the extroverted one.  I do not think like an extrovert. Disciplining her is difficult because I am still learning her.  I don’t always understand what makes her tick.  What works for one doesn’t necessarily work for the other.

Anyway, I love them both equally.  They are my little pink lights that brighten my day when I get home each evening.  I marvel at the way God works in giving us our personalities. If we were all the same, life would be pretty boring.

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.

The Introvert helped to edit this post.  The Extrovert was outside playing with her friends.