On Being an Introverted Mother

The quiz I took the other day, along with an article on being an introvert, have had me thinking more about how being an introvert affects me as a mother.  I've always known I'm an introvert, but hadn't thought about how that affects my parenting.  I love being a mother, and I love being around my children, but at the same time, I sometimes find that I need time just to myself, where I'm not around anyone and also not doing housework.  I can get very uptight and stressed if I go a long time without having this, which can result in me being a bit snappy.

Both my need to sometimes be alone and my snapping at people would then bring feelings of guilt (I'll still feel guilty about snapping at people).  I would feel horribly guilty at leaving the kids for a few minutes while I did something.  Of course, it didn't help that I was bombarded the moment I walked back through the door.  Or I would feel guilty that I didn't want to spend some time with my husband after I'd just put both kids down for a nap and finally got a moment to myself.  I recognise more now that this isn't because I don't want to be around my family, but that I need that time to myself to reenergise myself and collect my thoughts.  After doing that, I am then able to give them the attention they need.  I'm learning that this isn't some deficiency on my part and that if I just work harder, it'll change, but this is part of who I am.  I should therefore work with my strengths and weaknesses as an introvert, instead of trying to force myself to be someone I'm not.  Hopefully I can remember that more now that I've identified that.

What Kind of Mother Am I?

I just took this quiz, actually, and got that I'm an INTP.

I'm a "Love of Learning" Mother! (Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Perceiving) Intellectually curious and patient, I relish those times with a child when we are learning something interesting together. What's your mothering personality type? Take the MotherStyles quiz at FamilyEducation.com!

   I don't remember what my results were the last time I took one of those Myers-Briggs tests, though I'm sure I've always gotten the "introverted" tag.  This used to mean that I had trouble speaking to others and putting myself in situations where I was meeting new people and being sociable; now it means that I can do those things, but I do feel quite drained unless I hit it off with the other person straight away.  Anyway, I did find that the description seems to fit pretty well, though I'm not sure how patient I am.