Thoughts of the day… Take your child’s temperament into account.  

Having a general idea of your child’s temperament can help parents to understand their child’s moods and actions better, and thus allow them to parent with more empathy and kindness.  Understanding your child’s temperament is important in parenting, just as knowing child development patterns is important.  When you know what to expect, you can weather the obstacles better along the way.  Having a child with a slow to warm or difficult personality can sometimes be like being caught in a hurricane.  If you are well prepared for the situation, such as when you have a stockpile of water and non-perishable food items, extra warm clothing and blankets, flashlights with working batteries, a weather radio, etc., you can endure and thrive, but if you haven’t prepared for the hurricane, you may find yourself in highly anxious and stressful situations that you have to try to solve in the midst of the worst of it.  Understanding your child’s temperament, and preparing for the obstacles that come with it can go a long way in preventing the anxiety and struggles of dealing with the difficult personality traits in the midst of a stressful moment.  Learn about your child’s personality temperament so you can help create an environment that allows your child to succeed, be comfortable, and be liked by others.  Be your child’s advocate by learning about his/her temperament.