Being invested in your children, and especially in their early educational experience, is the rite of passage to parenthood. But it’s not easy to be involved in your kid’s school community if you’re socially awkward, introverted and easily overwhelmed by social demands. Here we’ve rounded up a few strategies from experienced parents to help you out in such situations.

Being Brave

Avoidance is indeed the path of least resistance. But, when it comes to your child, that’s not always an option. No matter how introverted you are, it’s necessary to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Think about all the happy memories your kids will have if you attend that evening meeting or volunteer at the school event.

Setting Boundaries

Always remember that getting out of your comfort zone doesn’t entail biting more than you can chew. Know yourself and don’t pressure yourself to go to extremes at first. There’s no need to run for the executive board of the parent-teacher association immediately. Focus on doing as much or as little as you can.

Fake it Till You Make It

Constantly fighting the urge of staying hidden and not being noticed takes a huge amount of willpower, and yes, acting skills. You may feel like you’re acting while attending social events at your kid’s school because that’s what you’re doing! So, keep pretending. Make yourself look comfortable, start a conversation, and gradually you’ll learn the rest.

Inviting Others Into the Circle

When you’re at a parent gathering at school and notice someone who might feel introverted just like you, don’t hesitate to reach out. Introduce yourself, invite that person to join your table, and make conversation. This gesture will help that person as much as it’ll help you, if not more. It’s a baby step toward broadening yourself.

Being Honest About Your Feeling

Don’t hold yourself back from sharing your feelings of discomfort and awkwardness with others. You’ll be surprised to learn how many people actually feel the same way, even the seemingly put-together parents. Also, sharing your feelings with your children will help them understand you and the reasons behind your actions.

Taking Time to Recover Afterwards

It’s normal for any introverted person to feel physically and emotionally drained after an episode of not-so-willing socializing. In such a case, you need time to recharge before tackling the next challenge. Spend some time with yourself, alone, or in a comfortable setting, doing only those activities you enjoy. It’s helpful to make you ready for the next one.

Let’s be honest; Friends is one of the most iconic television shows to ever grace the world with its presence. While the hilarious one-liners and epic storyline captivated us over the course of its many seasons, the characters were the real legends of this show. While most of us have binge-watched Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Phoebe, Joey, and Monica do their thing, it seems as though Courteney Cox is only just discovering the magic of Friends…

When you think of the famous sitcom Friends, there’s a high chance that you immediately think of the amazing cast that this show had to its name. One of those cast members was Courteney Cox, who had the pleasure of playing Monica Geller. Yet, what if we told you that Monica was actually a Friends rookie? This actress has never watched the whole show from beginning to end, and she’s even noted that she doesn’t even remember what happened during the show because her memory is so bad! Thankfully, Jimmy Kimmel couldn’t let that continue…

When Jimmy Kimmel spoke to Courteney about her awful Friends knowledge, he decided to create a segment on his show for them both to talk about the sitcom as Courteney finally watched the show from beginning to end. These two stars talk through the power of video chat and hearing Courteney talk about the characters, the storyline, and her (virtually nonexistent) memories of the show is something that we just can’t get enough of. Of course, she’s obviously loving every single episode – which is definitely a relief.

With Courteney Cox watching Friends from beginning to end, maybe it’s your chance to do the same? We’ve all binge-watched this show more times than we could count, but there’s no harm in adding another session into the mix, is there?