If you know what a whirling dervish is, you'll appreciate the mental image you get when you compare a mobile, curious baby to one.
My darling, sweet Royal, my third child; second son.... he is a sanguine. The same characteristics of his temperament that make me feel so close to him also make me want to duct tape him to the wall.
In case you read that and were all like "what the heck is a sanguine?" or any variation of that with more or less profanity, I'll give you the quickest run down of temperaments.
The temperament system has been around for a really, really long time, but most christians who employ them subscribe to Tim Lahaye's studies. Everyone has a temperament (obviously) and it's label is dictated by their thoughts, feelings, and actions. There are four temperament types, and each person is a blend, majorly, of two; one of them being dominant. Lahaye describes them as follows:
Choleric : Quick, active, practical, strong-willed
Sanguine : Warm, buoyant, lively, fun-loving
Melancholy : Analytical, self-sacrificing, talented, perfectionist
Phlegmatic : Calm, cool, slow, easy-going, well-balanced
Well, that sort of spells out their strengths. There are plenty of weaknesses that coincide with each of them as well. And each blend has strengths and weaknesses accordingly.
The thing about saguine-melancholies is that they are curious, boisterous, loud, and they never slow down. So while Royal is a great baby who is so much fun and so very comedic, he has reached the age where he is constantly into trouble. Rowan is a choleric-sanguine, and at 4 years old she is super smart, motivated, mostly obedient, and a huge help in caring for her siblings. Dash is pretty dramatic and emotional, as a melancholy-choleric, but his temper is the hardest thing to control. Royal gets into everything, and I do mean everything. If you've ever heard stories about the person who, as a baby, flushed a wallet down the toilet, or poured out an entire bottle of _______ on someone's bed, or ate poop....it was probably a sanguine.
So far today, Royal has gotten into the garbage and ate chewing tobacco (daddy is in big trouble and will be nagged at yet AGAIN to quit this horrible addiction), gotten into the garbage and ate a piece of wax paper with chocolate on it, poured out the dog's food and water bowl, put all the dog's food into the water (after the previous situation was cleaned up) and taken a trip to the clinic to check for a concussion after he stood up and tipped headfirst out of his high chair. Needless to say, the schedule is completely screwed today.
I tried warning my dad that this baby was sanguine. Even when I was pregnant, I knew it. Birth order made it likely that he would be, since I have my Choleric and my Melancholy. I felt him moving at 13 weeks, and he never slowed down after that. My father insisted that this happy, laughing, charming baby could never be a handful - he was so delightful! But now he has been proven wrong. Royal has a bad temper, is run by his emotions, and is stubborn. He never thinks for even a second about the consequences of his action. Don't try to argue that he is a baby, because by this age, both my other children were aware of consequences...Royal just doesn't take the time to care. I understand him, because that was me at his age, but it makes me even more fearful of the future knowing what I was like. I just hope he doesn't start in with holding his breath until he faints...cause that's what I did....
My darling, sweet Royal, my third child; second son.... he is a sanguine. The same characteristics of his temperament that make me feel so close to him also make me want to duct tape him to the wall.
In case you read that and were all like "what the heck is a sanguine?" or any variation of that with more or less profanity, I'll give you the quickest run down of temperaments.
The temperament system has been around for a really, really long time, but most christians who employ them subscribe to Tim Lahaye's studies. Everyone has a temperament (obviously) and it's label is dictated by their thoughts, feelings, and actions. There are four temperament types, and each person is a blend, majorly, of two; one of them being dominant. Lahaye describes them as follows:
Choleric : Quick, active, practical, strong-willed
Sanguine : Warm, buoyant, lively, fun-loving
Melancholy : Analytical, self-sacrificing, talented, perfectionist
Phlegmatic : Calm, cool, slow, easy-going, well-balanced
Well, that sort of spells out their strengths. There are plenty of weaknesses that coincide with each of them as well. And each blend has strengths and weaknesses accordingly.
The thing about saguine-melancholies is that they are curious, boisterous, loud, and they never slow down. So while Royal is a great baby who is so much fun and so very comedic, he has reached the age where he is constantly into trouble. Rowan is a choleric-sanguine, and at 4 years old she is super smart, motivated, mostly obedient, and a huge help in caring for her siblings. Dash is pretty dramatic and emotional, as a melancholy-choleric, but his temper is the hardest thing to control. Royal gets into everything, and I do mean everything. If you've ever heard stories about the person who, as a baby, flushed a wallet down the toilet, or poured out an entire bottle of _______ on someone's bed, or ate poop....it was probably a sanguine.
So far today, Royal has gotten into the garbage and ate chewing tobacco (daddy is in big trouble and will be nagged at yet AGAIN to quit this horrible addiction), gotten into the garbage and ate a piece of wax paper with chocolate on it, poured out the dog's food and water bowl, put all the dog's food into the water (after the previous situation was cleaned up) and taken a trip to the clinic to check for a concussion after he stood up and tipped headfirst out of his high chair. Needless to say, the schedule is completely screwed today.
I tried warning my dad that this baby was sanguine. Even when I was pregnant, I knew it. Birth order made it likely that he would be, since I have my Choleric and my Melancholy. I felt him moving at 13 weeks, and he never slowed down after that. My father insisted that this happy, laughing, charming baby could never be a handful - he was so delightful! But now he has been proven wrong. Royal has a bad temper, is run by his emotions, and is stubborn. He never thinks for even a second about the consequences of his action. Don't try to argue that he is a baby, because by this age, both my other children were aware of consequences...Royal just doesn't take the time to care. I understand him, because that was me at his age, but it makes me even more fearful of the future knowing what I was like. I just hope he doesn't start in with holding his breath until he faints...cause that's what I did....
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