What is Temperament ?
Temperament is the way children respond to the world.
Some children are “easy.” They are predictable, calm, and approach most new experiences in a positive way. Other children are more difficult, not able to manage their emotional experiences and expression with ease. When a child’s personality doesn’t quite fit or match that of other family members, it can be a challenge for everyone. Of course no child is one way all the time, but each has his own usual type.
By the time a child has reached the school years, his temperament is well defined and quite apparent to those who know him. It is not something that is likely to change much in the future. These inborn characteristics have nothing to do with your own parenting skills. Nevertheless, the behavioral adjustment of a school-age child depends a lot upon the interaction between his temperament and yours, and how others respond to him – how comfortably he fits in with his environment and with the people around him.
Characteristics of temperament
By being aware of some of the characteristics of temperament, you can better understand your child, appreciate his uniqueness, and deal with problems of poor “fit” that may lead to misunderstandings and conflicts.
There are some major characteristics that make up temperament.
- Intensity: the energy level with which a child responds to a situation, whether positive or negative.
- Activity level: the level of physical activity, motion, restlessness or Stress behavior that a child demonstrates in daily activities (and which also may affect sleep).
- Adaptability: The degree of ease or difficulty with which a child adjusts to change or a new situation, and how well the children can modify his reaction.
- Mood: The mood, positive or negative, or degree of pleasantness or unfriendliness in a child’s words and behaviors
For Your Child’s Temperament Grasp Your Parenting
You can’t change your child’s temperament. Your child is who they are, and that’s great.
But you can nurture your child’s development by Grasp your parenting to your child’s temperament. You can help your child develop the positive parts of their temperament. And you can understand the situations that your child might find hard because of their temperament, and help them learn how to handle these situations.
How You Can Change Your Child’s Temperament
As a parent, your goal should not be to totally change your child’s temperament. They were born that way and it makes them special. Temperaments can change, especially when children are very young and still having their first experiences and interactions with people and situations. But by the time they reach school age, their temperaments are fairly well-defined.
