Why I Should Know My Child’s Temperament
Do you have a child easy to deal with? Or difficult? Many parents might sometimes feel being a failure because their children are not as easy to deal with as their friend’s. They think that they are not good parents. These parents take up a lot of unnecessary pressure on themselves unnoticeably. In fact, I’ve known a lot of wonderful parents who have done all the right things, and provided a loving and nurturing home, but their children’s behaviours are far from acceptable standard. Even sometime they make their parents feel embarrassed wherever they go.
A case in point, many years ago, I knew a lovable mother with an educated background, with a doctorate degree in medical science. At that time her 3-year-old son never showed any intention to cooperate with his mother regardless of any loving guidance and clear instructions. When the mother took her son to any supermarket, her son would run around and never follow his mother. Even once he pushed all down the merchandized items on the floor when he ran wildly with a high-pitched scream. There was no way to stop him. I just think, if I were put in her situation, I would have felt helpless, embarrassed and distressed. And wonder what I’ve done wrong. In fact, this mother hasn’t done anything wrong. Instead she is a perfect mom, I think.
Many experts believe that every newborn is unique from every other baby. Every infant has a different personality or temperament. No matter whether your child is difficult or easy to raise, it will be of benefit to understand your child’s temperament.
What benefits do we, as parents have if we understand our children’s temperaments?
As parents, if we know what kind of temperament (personality traits) our children have, we can understand why and how they respond to certain situations. We would not be easily frustrated and distressed. In a sense, we can feel more confident in parenting and appreciate our children’s unique personality without feeling any need to compare with others. At least, we can tailor our parenting strategies to cope with the anticipated difficulties and help our children avoid some problems. To the best, we can guide our children more effectively in adapting themselves to the world.
Having said that, you have to understand that knowing what temperament your child has is to help you to be happy with who your child is rather than just labelling and judging him/her. As a child is a person, he/she will grow and adapt to how and what you teach. In this sense, understanding your child’s temperament is a mental map which helps you know how to go about parenting your unique child.
Now, are you ready? Do you want to know what temperament your child has?