Many years ago, researcher Thomas Chess studied infants and found nine aspects of temperament that seemed to start in infancy and persist throughout childhood. Each baby seems to fit somewhere along a continuum for each of these traits: Activity (how active the baby is), Regularity (does the baby eat, sleep, etc. at the same times each day or is he very unpredictable), Initial Reaction (how does he react in new situations or with new people - calmly or with fear), Adaptability (how does he manage changes in his life), Intensity (when upset, does he whimper or does he SCREAM), Mood (is he mostly happy and cheerful, or mostly somber), Distractibility (when he's focused on something - say, poking his finger into an outlet) can you easily distract him with a rattle or toy?), Persistence (when he wants to master a new skill will he try over and over or try once and quit if it doesn't work), Sensitivity (do noises, "scratchy" fabrics, etc. bother him? how about emotional sensitivity - does any separation from mom upset him?) The children who are most challenging for parents in Western societies are those who are low on regularity, high on sensitivity, and high on intensity. Add in high activity and it's even worse! I try to remind parents that these personality traits persist, and all the things that can make parenting a baby tough make wonderful adults! My active, intense, sensitive daughter now amazes me by her passion for the things she cares about, her ability to get far more done in a day than i ever can, and her acute sensitivity to the feelings and needs of others. Teresa Pitman *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome