Grounded For Life
How childhood isolation can lead to adult isolation.
I’m an introvert. I’ve always been an introvert. I can’t point to any single reason why I’m so introverted. I can enjoy a good conversation, but I often find that I prefer seclusion. Maybe it’s because I’m hearing impaired and I tend to go inside for peace. Or maybe it’s because I’m a very active listener. That requires juice to run. Maybe I get tired around people because I expend so much energy processing what people are saying.
If I had to point to one reason why I’m such an introvert, I’d say that being grounded for what seemed like an entire summer after the 7th grade is a big part of my introversion.
I used to have monumental battles over homework with my dad. I didn’t have very much fun in school. I just saw it as something I had to do. I was teased, excluded, and in general, had a very difficult time making friends. I had no models for friendship. I didn’t know how to make friends. No one really showed me the way. And that was piled on top being partially deaf to the world.
I think it was around 7th grade that I really started to slack off on my homework. I just didn’t want to do it. No one showed me how to be disciplined with homework. Somehow, at the end of the school year of my 7th grade, my math teacher sent a note to my parents saying…
