Building awareness of your child’s temperament often results in you becoming more aware of your own. Gaining a better understanding of how your temperament is similar to and different from your child’s can greatly increase your ability to effectively adjust your natural responses to those of your child, especially when these two clash.
This can lead to better communication between the two of you—think of it as teamwork—and can help your child better understand how and why you make decisions. It can also help you do a better job of “matching” your child’s temperament with:
- the demands and expectations of your family
- his childcare setting and his school, and
- can greatly improve his or her ability to build and maintain relationships.