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Publication #FAR0078

 

What Parents Can Do to Fit Their Child's Temperament1

Diana Converse2

Figure 1. 
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Some babies have regular sleep patterns and cruise serenely through the day, while others wake up often during the night and during the day, demanding seemingly constant attention. Some children make friends easily and others have difficulty making friends. Just as babies are born with different combinations of physical characteristics, they also have certain patterns of behavior, or temperament, which make them unique.

Sometimes parents and children have different temperaments, and, in that case, parents may need to adjust. How can you as a parent create a good fit between your own temperament and your child's? First, be aware of your own temperament and how your child's temperament is similar to or different from your own. Keep these differences in mind when you don't see eye to eye on things, when your youngster pushes your limits, and when you have trouble understanding your child's behavior. Embrace what makes her or him unique, without comparing your child to others or trying to change your child. Listen to his or her of view and understand that it may be different from yours. Be patient, and actively work to change any negative reactions you have to your child's behavior. Also, avoid situations that might set your child off. For example, if your child becomes anxious around crowds and commotion, having a birthday party at a large, busy play center may ruin the day for everyone.

When caregivers can adjust their parenting methods so there is a good fit between their temperament and their child's, time together can be enjoyable.

Listening, learning, and living together: it's the science of life. "Family Album" is a co-production of University of Florida IFAS Extension, the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, and of WUFT-FM. If you'd like to learn more, please visit our website at http://www.familyalbumradio.org.

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References

Oliver, K. K. (2002). Understanding your child's temperament. The Ohio State University Extension. Retrieved September 27, 2007, from http://ohioline.osu.edu/flm02/FS05.html.

Footnotes

1.

This document is FAR0078, one of a series of the Family Youth and Community Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Broadcast as program 376. Published March 2009. Revised March 2009. Reviewed March 2012. In the interest of time and/or clarity, the broadcast version of this script may have been modified. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Diana Converse, Extension agent III, Hillsborough County, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Reviewed by Kate Fogarty and Suzanna Smith, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, University of Florida, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, Dean.