ROVING CAREGIVERS PROGRAMME
FAMILY CORNER
Personality and Kids
“Do you know what you are?
You are a marvel. You are unique.
In all the years that have passed,
there has never been another child like you.”
-- Pablo Casals

Each child is unique, and has a different way of looking at and interacting with the world. Children have different talents that develop as they grow and practise them. If a child’s natural talents are suppressed by a well-meaning adult, that child will develop self-doubt and may have a long, difficult road ahead of him/her overcoming that obstacle. As adults, we should recognize the children’s different styles of learning and interacting, and promote the best possible development of their natural strengths and weaknesses.
One very powerful way to encourage the optimal development of a child is to use the model of Psychological Type to better understand the child and ourselves. In order to fully benefit from this system, it’s important for adults to understand their own personality type, as well as that of their children. We need to not only understand why our children act in certain ways, but also to understand why we have certain expectations of their behaviour. It’s equally important to remember not to box children into categories that may limit their development. Discovering your child’s personality type will help you to understand them better, and to create environments for them that enhance their natural strengths. It should not be seen as an absolute predictor of behaviour, or as a description of a child’s limitations. There is no “best” or “worst” personality type. Individuals of all types have their own special gifts for the world.
As children grow and learn and develop, their personalities take shape and begin to obviously influence their behaviors and attitudes. Research done by Thomas and Chess in the 1970s indicates several characteristics that can help parents to recognize their infant’s emerging personality. One characteristic is your baby’s activity level; some babies come out bawling, some are half-asleep; others are intently observant. Later on, while exploring, one will be climbing all over the furniture while another prefers to creep or step carefully. Another characteristic is the rhythm of your child’s bodily functions; how regularly (or not!) she wants to eat, excrete, sleep and stay awake. Then there’s the idea of the intensity of your child’s reactions. Does she express herself loudly when hungry, or does she quietly wait? Will she patiently build those stacking cups or will she give up in frustration when the first one falls? Linked to this is your child’s ability to adapt to new situations, new people, new foods and the like.

Another characteristic involves your child’s attention span. Does she pay attention to particular toys or does she prefer to quickly move from one toy to another? Recognition of your child’s personality helps you to understand your child’s needs. As much as possible choose a day care that understands and accommodates the differences in children. When your child’s needs are met, she learns that the world (basically her family and day care) is a safe place that she can trust.
According to Alexander and Chess, each child is an individual and individual development is neither genetically preordained, nor entirely determined by environment. Be observant; a few adjustments to your baby’s environment or routine may result in the emergence of a much more easy going child. It’s really much simpler than you may think. If, for instance, your uncle has an argumentative streak that rears its head when you talk politics, you know to steer clear of that issue at family gatherings. It’s the same way with your baby; if she doesn’t like being held a certain way; you make adjustments for her individual preferences. The result is usually a happier baby. Genes may indicate the scope of personality variations, but environment also has an influence. Therefore, if a baby’s personality is allowed to unfold in a natural way, it will eventually reveal a unique person that brings incredible value to our world and as parents, its our job to appreciate the intricate “big picture” of the personality, to understand that our children are diverse, complex individuals and to know that’s exactly the way it’s supposed to be.
The Roving Caregivers Programme is a collaborative venture among the Bernard Van Leer Foundation, the Caribbean Child Support Initiative, and the Government of St. Lucia, through the Ministry of Education and Culture, and UNICEF. The RCP provides early stimulation experiences to children from birth to three years in identified target communities. The programme is a home intervention model and also provides integrated family support services. Home visitations are conducted in 20 communities by trained community caregivers.
You can help: “Change the nation, one family, one child, at a time” by contributing money, toys, learning and other resource materials. Contributions can be taken to the Early Childhood Services Unit, Ministry of Education and Culture in La Clery. You email us at rcpslu @ gmail.com