Noah Berlatsky, an introvert married to another introvert whose son turned out to be an extroverted aspiring actor, muses on what he’s learned from having such a different child:
Part of what’s great about it is, of course, just that it’s fun to see your kid do something well, and to see him love doing something well. Part of why he’s good at drama is because you can just feel the joy coming off him when he’s performing. Everybody likes to see their child happy.
But another part of what’s fun about watching him be a thespian is the fact that being a thespian is so thoroughly not something I did, or am. Obviously, it’s great too when your child loves something you love — teaching him to swim was one of the high points of my life. But there’s also something special about realizing that he’s going to be able to do all these things you couldn’t do, or didn’t even try. Or, even more than that, just realizing that he’s not you, or even a combination of you and your spouse, but is instead this whole different person, center stage in his own life, who you get to love.
The Dish 