Understanding Temperament: Strategies for Creating Family Harmony

Temperament isn’t good or bad; it’s just the way each of us is. Some of us are active, intense and distractible; others are adaptable and persistent. You can’t change temperament, but you can manage it. And that’s what "Understanding Temperament" helps you do: it explains why family members behave as they do and how you can change family conflict into family cooperation. Intended to help you understand family dynamics, this book is full of real-life examples that will help you:

• Understand your child’s unique inner strengths;
• Teach the specific skills your child needs to excel in the world;
• Break the cycle of negative behavior between parent and child;
• Nurture a close relationship with your child; and
• Prevent problems by creating a better “fit” between your child and his or her environment.

Lyndall Shick, M.A. has worked with emotionally disturbed children, victims of domestic and sexual abuse, elderly people, and families with challenging children. As a counselor at the Center for Human Development in La Grande, Oregon, Ms. Shick has helped design a temperament-based parenting program now in use nationwide.