Differences between shy children and introverted children
Differentiating between being shy and introverted helps us understand when our sons and daughters need help or when their personality does not carry any emotional and social problems.
Parents always want their children to be successful in life and above all, to feel happy and supported all the time. The personality of children begins to be carved from when they are small and has a bit of genetics and a lot of what happens in their closest environment: the experiences and love they receive from their loved ones. There are children with more outgoing personalities, others are more introverted … but they are all children with a desire to enjoy life.
When a child is introverted it is a characteristic of their personality that makes them happy like that and they do not need you to tell them to go out with others or go to parties. When a child is shy, things change, because shyness has nothing to do with introversion. What does one thing has to do with the other? How exactly are introversion and shyness different?
Index
IF YOU ARE A FATHER OR MOTHER AND YOU ARE WORRIED
Perhaps you are a father or mother, you may feel worried if your child does not have many friends and spends too much time alone in his room. They may not seem unhappy to you, but you can’t help but worry about them … especially if the teacher told you that they don’t socialize well with other boys and girls their age.
You may have doubts and think that your child is shy and only lacks social skills, but what if he is an introvert? Do you know what the differences are between one term and another?
IS NOT THE SAME
Being shy or introverted is not the same even if they seem so. A child (or adult) who is introverted is able to enjoy his time alone and needs to be alone for some time after spending social time with others. A shy person does not necessarily want to be alone, but does not have sufficient social skills to do so successfully and this causes him to fear interacting with others.
For example, an introverted child may enjoy being in his bedroom reading a book while other children play in the park, while the shy child will want to join the children in the park but will stay in his bedroom because he is afraid to join them. .
A shy child can be helped to overcome his shyness, but an introverted child is like that because of his personality and nature , he cannot be changed, nor will the color of his eyes or his skin color change.
NOT ALL INTROVERTS ARE SHY
Not all introverts are shy. In fact, there are introverts who have excellent social skills that they only use when they see fit. But after participating in social activities, an introvert will want to be alone so they can recharge their energy and feel emotionally good again.
On the other hand, a shy person will need to develop social skills , so a shy child may have self-esteem problems due to feeling insecure and even fearful in social situations. But a shy child who gets enough help and support can learn social skills and be more outgoing, something that will help improve his self-esteem and self- confidence . On the other hand, introverts can easily learn coping strategies to cope with social situations, but they will always be introverts.
HOW CAN YOU HELP YOUR CHILD
If your child is an introvert, the first thing you should do to help him is recognize that introversion is not a behavior disorder and that it does not require any treatment. In this sense , if your child is happy being an introvert, he does not need any help, you will only have to make sure that your child is a happy, healthy child and that he feels good every day, that is, that he is a emotionally stable child .
The best thing you can do for your child is to understand what introversion is and accept that it is a totally normal personality trait of your child. Accept as and how and that he is not the person you would like him to be, he is how he is and that is how you must accept him. Your house will not be able to fill with friends on a regular basis because it drains your child’s energy. Accept your child and enjoy spending time with him, likewise, allow him to spend time alone if that is what he wants . Accept that your child has few friends, accept that they are close and appreciate that they are real friends and that if your child trusts them it is because they really are good friends.
If you can accept all these traits, then you will not need to pressure your child to participate in social activities because you will know that it is something that makes him feel uncomfortable and that if he wants to participate, he will be out of it. It is also important that you give your child a little time to do social activities with his friends if that is what he wants to do and also respect when he wants to spend time alone even if it is doing solo activities like going to the movies (when he is old enough). If you are introverted parents, you will understand him, but if you are extroverted, then keep in mind that love and understanding cannot be lacking.
On the other hand, if you consider that your child may be shy and that he is not an introvert, then perhaps you have seen him suffer for not interacting with other children his age. In this case, you can promote activities with children of their age and sign them up for extracurricular activities in activities that they like and that they are good at. Invite friends over to play together and give them advice so that you can relate properly.
If you see that it costs you too much or that you even feel social anxiety, then it is best to go to a psychology specialist to teach you strategies and enhance your social skills. In this way you will be able to have more self-confidence and feel the confidence necessary to learn to relate to others and improve your interpersonal relationships.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.