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M.O.M. Balance
Real Name: Karen Harvey Gender: female Member Since: March 11, 2008 Last Signed In: March 17, 2010 Blog Views: 2083 Send To A Friend Sign Guestbook Add as a Friend
The dreaded ultimatum
Don't get discouraged! Moms behaving badly Stop, look and LISTEN! Take what's wrong and WRITE it! You and your Valentine 2-4-6-8, who do YOU appreciate? Resolve to be more productive! Resolve to look and feel your best! Resolve to feel like a great mom! June 09 July 09 August 09 September 09 October 09 November 09 December 09 January 10 February 10 March 10 This blog will look at Mothering Obstacles Me - who we are as moms, the "me" underneath all our other roles, and some of the challenges we all face. I'm a life coach and mother of 2 who specializes in working with moms. By sharing ideas, stories and weekly assignments, my hope is to help moms create more satisfaction and balance in their lives, while making the most of each day and enjoying the journey of motherhood that we all share. 
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Is your child a "people person"?
This is the first of a 4-part look at your child’s personality. Personality is a complicated matter. The better you understand your child’s, however, the better you’ll know how he sees the world, what’s most important to him, and how to respond to him. There are four basic components to personality; the first is whether your child is an introvert or an extrovert. When you think of introverts and extroverts, you probably think of whether or not someone is outgoing and at ease around lots of people. This trait goes beyond being talkative or shy, however, and actually stems from where a person gets their energy. An extroverted child not only enjoys being around other children, but will often get a second wind when at playdates, even if it’s almost naptime or bedtime. Here are some ways to determine whether your child is an extrovert (E) or introvert (I): When your child spends time around lots of people, does he come away energized (E) or drained and in need of down time (I)? Does your child react immediately to new information (E) or need to let it sink in for a while before responding (I)? Does your child enjoy long periods of playing alone (I)? Does your child tend to think out loud (E)? If your child is an extrovert: · Create as social an environment as possible. It’s important for this child to have lots of friends, trips to the park and activity. · It may be difficult for this child to play by herself for an extended period. If she doesn’t have siblings, she may want a lot of attention from you; she’s not trying to be needy and disruptive, she just likes company. · Recognize (especially if you’re more of an I) that E’s actually process information by talking about it. To you this may sound like incessant chatter, but it’s part of your child’s thought process. If your child is an introvert: · He may not be intentionally ignoring you, but so focused on his inside world that he stops paying attention to the people and activities right around him. · It’s especially important not to interrupt him. I’s spend time formulating their thoughts, and need to express these thoughts in their entirety. It’s harder for an I to get back on track than for an E, after an interruption. · Recognize his need for down time and solitary endeavors; if you’re an E, you may see your I child as anti-social, and try to address this “problem” by creating more social situations, but this is not what he needs, and will probably be frustrating for both of you.
Remember that there are no “right” or “wrong” personality types, nor can you change anyone’s type. We get in trouble as parents when we don’t recognize this, and try to make our children into who we’d like them to be rather than who they are. Your assignment: Look for clues this week as to your child’s tendency toward being an extrovert or introvert. Once you’ve determined this, think about how you can best support and work with this trait – especially if your own tendency is different. Ready to take the assignment? Want to talk about this? Share your ideas and thoughts at the M.O.M. Balance Forum. 1 comments from 1 users
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posted by
HeatherA
on Jun 22, 2009 at 07:22 PM
My son will be four the end of July. I have figured all along that he is an extrovert, but reading this really helped to confirm it! He is a complete chatter box, rarely stopping to take a breath. He will talk to anyone who will listen. Of course, some of his stories are things we would rather not have him share! On a 2 hour drive to Tahoe a few weeks ago, we thought he would sleep the whole way. He did NOT STOP TALKING until we hit the top of Echo Summit, when he finally zonked out. If we have a busy morning, he is usually exhausted around 1:00. His sister takes a nap then, but he will not. He just wants to play with me. I try to get him to play quietly in his room, but he always wants me involved with what he is doing (it is very tiresome!) I will take him to the park or a friend's when his sister wakes up, and he gets his second wind. He runs around and plays like crazy! If I don't keep him entertained in the afternoon, I have what I call "The witching hour" at my house. He turns into a little beast, beating up on his sister and doing other naughty things. The busier I keep him, the better behaved he is. Although it is exhausting for me, I know I have to keep him entertained in the afternoons if I want a sweet child. The mornings are easy for me b/c we go to the gym and he loves the daycare there, and he also goes to pre-school 2 days a week. I really need to work hard on finding things to do at home while his sister naps, and on the days we just can't get out of the house.
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