A Woman's Weekly

One of my highlights this past week is discovering and learning about my kids tendencies and inclinations. To help me with this, I’ve been reading a book called Personality Plus for Parents by Florence Littaeur.

According to the writer, I have in my home a Sunny Sanguine and a Powerful Choleric! Life at my home couldn’t be more interesting!

My Miss D has always been Mommy’s little helper, doing things I would normally not think she would do. Lately, she’s been picking Baby Spunky off the floor and back onto the mattress whenever Spunky rolls out of it. She’s also a source of ‘intellectual stimulation’ for Mommy, talking about things like, how she would feel scared being in a ferris wheel cos of how high it can go up to. (She saw this at the Inanam Fun fair, popular hangout place for the pilaks…) I enjoy the fact that she is able to express herself which helps with communication. To Mommy, life with her is predictable, stable and orderly.

Her Daddy though, finds he can’t tell her what to do, and she somehow is always able to talk her way out of whatever Dad wants her to do. Every so often, life finds Dad at despair because once again, his precious Miss D succeeded at getting Dad to do what she wants instead of the other way around! Yup, she’s our Powerful Choleric.

Having said that however, Daddy is Miss D’s hero. Except for Day Care and our home, she won’t be separated from her Daddy. People have commented that Cool Dad has a little shadow following him around, in the form of his daughter!

Recently at Day Care, she was awarded top recipient for best progress in her class. Her teachers had nothing but praise and good reports for her. Daddy smiled and Mommy shed a tear. We pray she’ll grow from strength to strength in her abilities and talents. And we pray that we’ll be able to help encourage her development in the way that will be pleasing to the Lord. We also need to pray for wisdom to handle her strengths taken to the extreme. Arrogance will not have a foothold in a Wong child.

My Sunny Sanguine is Miss Mel. She’s the one who would wave and say bye-bye even to strangers. She’ll smile at you if you smile at her. When she tells you about her day at the day care and the friends she’s been talking to, expect excited intonations and wonderfully animated gestures. She loves to sing and lately has been singing on her own initiative in car rides.

Now that her vocabulary has increased, she won’t take Che-Che’s reporting of their misadventures quietly. She chips in and adds her version of the story. When she begins to realise Che-Che may have the upper hand, she’ll start to protest and will progress to a bout of crying designed to instigate pity and rally support. At her worst, she’ll scream and tries to out-talk her sister, and some times goes into a kicking frenzy.

Yet, she is the one that does not withold afffection. She will snuggle up to Mommy or Daddy when we’re watching TV. Sometimes while Mommy is busy-ing about in the kitchen, she would come up from behind and give a tight hug. When Dad’s resting on the couch, she’ll climb up to him and lies on his chest. Daddy especially cherishes moments such as these.

The reason I began reading this book was because I wanted to learn how to connect with my Sunny Sanguine. In the past when her vocabulary was limited, all she did was throw a major emotional tantrum. During times of weakness, I lose my patience easily and feel very frustrated over her emotional outbursts.

I’ve learned now that all she needs is time, attention and affection. As such, I am now connecting with her better than I used to. That’s not to say all’s well all the time since. Some days, Mommy and Daddy have to put the foot down and not give in to her emotional manipulation.

At day care, she too received top prize for best progress in her group. Needless to say, Cool Dad and I are very proud of her too.

One home, different personalities. Yet it is in these differences that our Home is its unique identity. I look forward now to discovering Baby Spunky’s uniqueness.

And as always, we are trusting God for insight and wisdom on how to bring up our kids in the way they should go.