Your child’s health and social development are directly and indirectly affected by temperament. It is important to realize that the behavioral tendencies that help make up your child’s temperament are inborn—and therefore not easy or desirable to change—and are not the result of “bad parenting.” By gaining a better understanding of temperament, you can help your child learn to effectively utilize his or her natural style of interacting with others or reacting to particular types of environments, objects and situations.