I’m not sure when the term “extroverted introvert” first appeared, but I know that I read the term through social media. I, like so many other people, instantly perked up “omg, that’s me!” There was never a more perfect term or explanation.

People often equate introvert with shy. I am NOT shy. I have never been shy. I am a talker and a laugher and a joker (there are people in 5 states telling me they can hear me from there 😂). I’ve been told to “turn down the volume” countless times, and I’ve been asked to not talk even before opening my mouth because “it’s irritating to a headache”. I sing loudly at work on purpose (how else will anyone remember me???). I’m also not great about withholding my opinion on EVERYTHING (3 different states and 4 jobs are still reeling from my need to fix/change/enhance/help). BUT – this does NOT make me an extrovert.

All of 👆🏻is just part of being tuned in to my surroundings or being “on” for the day, and ususually just with people I know. But being “on” is mentally and physically exhausting for an introvert, even when it’s your family. Just like I could barely function after work each day and especially after 5 days in a row say when Friday night rolled around, I kind of feel that way with the kids all day. It’s still “work”, I know, and it DEFINITELY has the same effect on me. It’s draining, taxing, mentally mind-boggling. It takes me a solid two hours of quiet to recover (hiding in my room 😬) from a day of whatever type of “work” I am doing.

This has always been the case. I was the kid who always went to bed early, usually without being asked, and slept for a LONG time. I avoided parties and sleepovers like the plague. I can’t count how many times my mom had to come pick me up from someone’s house at a totally unreasonable hour. I just couldn’t understand why I would sleep uncomfortably on someone’s floor when I could be in my own bed. And if I did end up staying, I usually ended up sick. This only worsened in high school when I could drive myself – peace out, friends! 😂Until they hid my keys.

I didn’t party much in college (much to Justin’s dismay) – parties just suck all of the energy right out of me. I’ll never be a partier. I will never want to stay out late and bar hop. It sends me into an unnecessary anxiety over nothing. Literally nothing except feeling like I need to be at home. My bed is my favorite place in the world. I was once shown a commercial where someone climbs in their bed and says “I love you”. I say that to my bed every night now.

It’s also interesting that while I’m a talker and a loud one, so I’ve heard, I don’t like a lot of noise. I can’t stand loud tv or radio and it’s unbearable if people are talking on top of it. When the kids get loud, it goes straight to my 😳. I should google if this happens to other “EIs” (I made that acronym – not sure it’s used anywhere else! Lol). It just becomes sensory overload (especially worse when it’s in a foreign language!)

What does this have to do with me being in Europe? Well, it makes traveling And site-seeing with the kids more overwhelming than I expected. People speaking in foreign languages and the pure unknown around me makes it hard for me to truly enjoy the cities. I’m tense and I’m walking around trying to look at the sites but also counting kids, trying to read signs, navigate small bumpy streets with a stroller, trying to navigate foreigners who seemingly have different etiquette styles, trying to eat at a table with a waiter who doesn’t understand us with the ruckus of the kids ensuing at the same time. Sensory overload. And then there are those souvenir shops full of 8 million little pieces of garbage the kids must have and must touch each one! Argh!

I’m ready to call it quits for the day so early and hide in the hotel/car/house and Justin wants to go, go, go. He’s especially worse when we have guests because, since he doesn’t like to miss out on anything (FOMO!), he doesn’t want any guests to feel like they missed anything either. So he keeps planning and planning and planning. I mean, we’ve been to 3 countries in one day and stopped to visit them all! (My CinDye calls the phenomenon “Justin Cobb-ing it”). I have three ways of reacting to this usually. One, calling it quits and asking to take baby or any other kids to hotel to just sit. Two, trying to go along with it the best I can (but this usually ends in #3). Three, going along and then totally losing my s*?%.

Its a strange double-edged sword or something like that where I’m dying to see these places, but I also get unnecessarily worked up and tense (including packing 😳). This may be the introvert in me, or it may be the OCD part of me, or may be the type A part, OR a fun collection of all of those! I also am only able to tolerate small doses, like 2-3 days. It’s doubtful you’ll ever see me on a 3 week backpacking journey (unless Justin has his way).

I kind of wonder how the kids will be when they’re older. Will they be more Justin ‘FOMO’ Cobb or Libby ‘loses her s#%t’ Cobb? Will they travel all the time or will they be burned out? If I had to call it now, I’d say it’s a mix. I’m not sure any of them are total FOMO, but Natalie is agreeable and goes with the flow well, and really always has. Meredith and Wesley have a lot of me in them – they need LOTS of sleep, and if they don’t have it, they start acting like toddlers. And well, Bennett is still a baby, but it’s a toss-up – he doesn’t like to miss anything, but he also doesn’t like to miss his 15 hours of sleep 👌🏻.