I'm an introvert, married to another introvert, with an extrovert daughter. She's nearly 4, extremely confident and outgoing (which I love) and very, very chatty (which I also love).
Thing is, she absolutely won't do anything alone. Her younger brother (2) wanders off to the other room to play for a bit and then wanders back, wants to chat, wants to play, wanders off again. DD, on the other hand, wants only to talk to me, play with me, show me things, all day long. It's not an attachment issue - she loves nursery, will leave us to go to the childminder with no problem, doesn't enormously mind if it's me or her dad with her. She just wants to engage with someone 24/7.
It's a lovely trait but I'm completely worn out. I'm glad for her in the longer term (being introverted can be hard as a teen and young adult) but I desperately need some tips to get me through these younger years.
Is it ok to tell her she needs to play alone for a bit or is that cruel? How do I implement quiet time? She has a room full of toys and stories on tape but has no interest in being there if we aren't there too. She hates her dad and I talking if she's not included in the conversation and will interrupt even when we remind her not to. She's very rarely quiet even if she's watching something she loves. Help!