Tune In To Temperament Workshop by Brenda Nixon
(for Brenda's bio and her other parenting articles: www.brendanixon.com)

A child is born with temperament, specific traits that determine how he responds to the world. There’s no such thing as a good or bad temperament, it just is and kids can’t change their temperament anymore than they can change who gave them birth.  

People often ask me, "Then What’s Personality?" I explain it as a large umbrella. Under that umbrella are two forces, nature and nurture. Nature is the child's inborn temperament - a genetic response. Nurture is how a parent responds to a growing child. When you combine a child’s DNA- determined temperament with the parenting he receives, you get  personality.  Temperament research began in the late 1950s with the landmark work of a husband/wife team, Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess, both medical doctors and professors of psychiatry. They studied the everyday responses of 136 subjects from infancy to adolescence. Chess and Thomas noted characteristics present at birth that continued to influence development in important ways throughout life. They eventually identified nine categories.

Since then, many scientific studies of temperament have continued to prove that temperament influences children's development. We all know children who seem more challenging to deal with - even at birth!

The realization that behavioral tendencies are innate - and not the result of parenting - is one of the most liberating insights parents gain from learning about temperament. By recognizing temperament, parents can create effective discipline techniques, rather than butting heads, with kids. They can tailor their expectations and encouragement to suit each child’s needs. Tuning in to a child's temperament helps parents recognize their child's strengths and will find life more enjoyable.

Learning about temperament can be useful in self-awareness. We can get a better understanding of our personal as well as parenting behavior.  Also, knowing temperament concepts can provide techniques for working with people in a variety of settings. Not only parents, but also educators, childcare professionals, counselors, therapists, and health care providers can use this insight to improve understanding and relationships.  The nine categories according to Drs. Chess and Thomas are:

Activity Level
Regularity (also called Rhythmicity)
Approach/Withdrawal
Adaptability
Sensory Threshold (also called Sensitivity)
Quality of Mood 
Persistence (Attention Span)
Distractibility
Intensity of Reaction

Each of these will be explained on Saturday, February 23rd when I speak for Benton County Empowerment, along with tips on working with your child's unique temperament.  I think it's critical to adjust your parenting to meet each child’s individual needs. Why? The result is each will feel highly valued, understood, accepted, and respected. When you respond to kids for who they are, not for what you want them to be, they’ll grow up with healthy self-respect and a greater tolerance for the different people who come into their lives.

There's so much more to know, so we booked Brenda for a return engagement February 23, 2008!

The workshop will run from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Saturday, February 23 at The Palace in Vinton.  Lunch will be held at the Pizza Ranch from 12:00 p.m. until 1:00 p.m. 

We encourage you to tell your families about this great opportunity to help understand their child’s temperament.  Brenda will help you tune into your child's temperament. She'll explain all nine categories of temperament and afterward answer audience questions.

Everyone who registers early for this Saturday event will receive a complimentary CD on temperament recorded live by Brenda Nixon. Complimentary child care will be offered as well – but must be requested in advance.  For details and registration contact the Benton County Empowerment office at 319/472-4543 or ccc@bcempowerment.com.