The Hidden Gifts of the Introverted Child : Helping Your Child Thrive in an Extroverted World

Introverted children are often misunderstood, even by their parents, who worry about them. Engaged by their interior world, they’re often regarded as aloof. Easily overwhelmed by too much stimulation, they can be seen as unmotivated. Content with just one or two close friends, they may be perceived as unpopular. Parents fret that they are unhappy and maladjusted. But the truth is quite different: Introverted children are creative problem solvers. Introverted children love to learn. Introverted children have a high EQ (emotional IQ) and are in touch with their feelings. They take time to stop and smell the roses, and they enjoy their own company. They are dependable, persistent, flexible, and lack vanity. How can parents help their introverted children discover and cultivate these wonderful gifts? Help is here. Written by Dr. Marti Olsen Laney, author of __The Introvert Advantage__ with 74,000 copies in print, __The Hidden Gifts of the Introverted Child__ fully explains introversion as a hardwired temperament, not a disability, and tells just what parents need to do to help their child become the person he or she is meant to be—and succeed in an extroverted world. Beginning with a 30-question quiz that places a child on the introvert/extrovert continuum, __The Hidden Gifts__ shows parents how to foster a climate that allows introverted kids to discover their inner strengths; schedule ways for a very young innie to recharge those batteries and teach an older child to do it for him- or herself; create a harmonious household with siblings, and parents, of different temperaments; help innies find success at school, sports, parties, and other group activities.

Do you have a child who hangs back at birthday parties? Who dreads being called on in class? Who hugs the sidelines, and who surprises you by seeming withdrawn or aloof in public but turns into a chatterbox at home?

The plight of the introverted child is to be often misunderstood. Parents, siblings, classmates, teacher, and—most devastatingly—the child himself feel that there's something wrong with him. With The Hidden Gifts of the Introverted Child, Dr. Marti Olsen Laney brings wisdom and science together to provide parents with an essential guide to raising a successful, well-adjusted innie. It covers the hard-wired introvert temperament; introvert-extrovert family dynamics; navigating school, sports, and social life; and especilly, how to draw out your introvert's hidden gifts, which may include a love of learning, empathy, creativity, and flexibility—virtues easily lost in the bluster of an extroverted world.

Library Journal

Introverts, or "innies," as psychotherapist Laney (The Introvert Advantage) calls them, use the brain's front lobe for thinking and more often rely on the right side of the brain than the left. Consequently, innies enjoy in-depth discussions, take longer to make decisions, use their short-term memory less often than extroverts, and are less likely to engage in risky behaviors. Laney offers parents tips on how to help their innie child of any age succeed socially at school and during family reunions. She tackles myths surrounding introversion and warns against confusing introversion with shyness. Yet even though Laney describes extroversion and introversion as being part of a temperament continuum, the portrait she paints of introverted children sometimes lack nuance (e.g., all innies are calm, intelligent, thoughtful, and disciplined). Also, comments about hiring caregivers without too "thick" an accent so as not to interfere with language development could offend certain communities. Nevertheless, the message that temperament is hardwired at birth and that parents should adapt to their offspring by better understanding them, instead of trying to change them, rings true. Large public libraries can consider.-Maryse Breton, Baldwin P.L., Birmingham, MI Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Shows parents how to foster a climate that allows introverted kids to discover their inner strengths. This book teaches an older child to create a harmonious household with siblings, and parents, of different temperaments. It also helps introverted children find success at school, sports, parties, and other group activities. How can parents help their introverted children discover and cultivate their wonderful gifts? This guide fully explains introversion as a hardwired temperament, not a disability, and tells just what parents need to do to help their child succeed in an extroverted world Explains that introversion is not a disability, and how parents can help their child become the person he or she is meant to be and succeed in an extroverted world