Greetings, Parents!
Did you know that everyone (including your child) comes with factory installed wiring? How your child is wired will determine whether they will be easy or more challenging to raise. This is called temperament, a set of inborn traits that organize the child’s approach to the world. These traits also determine how the child is learning about the world around them.
When parents understand their child’s temperament, they learn to anticipate and prepare for how to help children handle most situations. There are generally five characteristics that describe an individual’s temperament:
· Emotional intensity
· Activity level
· Frustration tolerance
· Reaction to new people
· Reaction to change
Although most parents prefer some temperamental characteristics over others, it is important to know that there is no right or wrong temperament. It is up to us to be our child’s champion. We must help others understand our child’s temperament as well as help our child make the most of their unique temperament rather than trying to change it.
For more information on the topic of temperament and for ideas on how to identify and embrace your child’s temperament, please visit https://www.zerotothree.org/ .
Jennifer Perdue
Director, Ivy Academy West
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