Ambitious Parents, Mellow Children

Recently I have read an article from the Wall Street Journal about Type A parents who often find themselves struggle to raise Type B kids.  Before we dive in further into discussions, let’s take a look at each definition. Here is what Google has to offer,

What is  a Type A?

A personality type characterized by ambition, high energy, and competitiveness, and thought to be susceptible to stress and heart disease. –more or less, very driven, and ambitious person

What it Type B then?

A personality type characterized as easygoing and thought to have low susceptibility to stress. – In another words laid back personality

--courtesy of simplypsychology.org

Now that we are on the same page, let’s converse it away …

What the article was saying was, it was hard for ambitious parents to raise mellow aka laid back kids. What we are singing are not in tune with what they are humming. And that can be frustrating. Because …

“When parents and children are temperamental opposites, the results can be explosive.

Type A parents, driven by nature, often have to ease up on Type B kids, 
who are more dreamy and mellow.

When the pattern is reversed, relaxed Type B parents often feel outpaced 
by revved-up Type A offspring.

These matchups can cause conflict beyond the normal parenting challenges,

and solutions may require parents to adjust expectations and tactics.”

cited http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204479504576638950410953960.html

Even though, we choose to be parents but neither the kids or us can choose what type of personality the parents or the kids have. Would it be nice if we can do that? Second thought, the unknown makes our parenting much more fun. Don’t you agree?

We just need to be a bit creative when dealing with Type B kids, basically they need more time to mold their creativity into ambitions. Sometimes it may take longer than we anticipate, but they will get there eventually.

If we are Type B parents with Type A kids, well … we just have to let them run in full force and follow them closely to remind them from time to time to be just kids.

The challenge here is to let them do what they want and yet be kids and sometimes push them a tiny bit either forward or backward.

Having said that, are you a Type A or B parent? How about your kids? Tell me ya...

I hope you enjoy this journey of mine visiting the personality type. Knowing our and our next generation's type may ease our roads of parenting.

Until next stop,
Journey of Life