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by Maritha Pottenger
Few tasks are more vital than raising children. How
parents impact the next generation will have a profound impact on the quality of life we
all experience in the future. Yet hardly anyone gets training for the vital job of
parenting.
Astrology can be a very valuable tool for families.
Everyone has a horoscope--a map of the heavens at the instant they were born (date, time
and place). That map reflects the individual's personality: strengths, weaknesses,
abilities, talents, and special needs.
If parents consult with an astrologer regarding their
child, they can gain lots of useful information. An astrologer can reveal the child's
talents and abilities, allowing the parents to encourage those talents from an early
age. An astrologer can identify the importance of each parent in various areas of a
child's life. For example, one child may be very susceptible to mother's influence in
terms of intellectual development, and very imprinted by father in regard to social skills
or attitudes about money. By knowing this, the parents can be sure the impact they have is
as constructive as possible.
Special needs and challenges can be seen in a
horoscope. For example, some children desperately need early responsibilities as they
base much of their self-esteem on accomplishment. They do well when able to set the table
even as a toddler, or achieve other age-appropriate tasks. Some children need lots of
social interaction, so should participate in play groups, be taken to the park, have
friends over as they get older, etc. Some children need extra quiet time and have very
vivid imaginations; their privacy needs should be respected and their fantasies given a
healthy outlet.
Astrology can serve as an early warning system to
parents. By identifying and explaining potential weaknesses or challenges for each
child, astrology gives the parents an opportunity to make allowances for a child's basic
tendencies, and to work to overcome weaknesses. If a parent is forewarned, for example,
that a particular child has a tendency to fall into power struggles, that parent has
choices. S/he can strive to consistently offer choices to the child ("Do you want
oatmeal, corn flakes, or eggs?") so the child has some power over the results. The
parent can encourage discussion and consensus as soon as the child is old enough to start
to grasp such ideas. The parent can encourage the child to get into competitive sports and
games (and later--when older--politics or business) in order to positively direct a power
drive. The parent can encourage empathy and provide exercises for the child to imagine how
others feel. Above all, the parent can be a role model of someone who decides through
logic, caring, and cooperation--not through control or coercion.
If a parent learns that a child has a tendency toward
overindulgence, the parent can be aware of how food, drugs, alcohol and other addictive
substances are handled in the home. The parent can teach moderation and role model
self-mastery of one's appetites. Similarly, if a child has a tendency toward self-denial
and a poverty consciousness or self-criticism, the parent can focus strongly on building
positive self-esteem; encouraging a natural flow of pleasure, and counting assets instead
of flaws.
Naturally, children learn more from what parents do
than from what they say. The role model is much more powerful than anything else!
Therefore, it can be tremendously helpful for parents to have their own charts
interpreted! Astrology is a very useful mirror and having an objective reflection of one's
own strengths and weaknesses can be helpful to the parent too. Astrology can also reveal
major areas of overlap and likeness between parents and children--as well as areas of
strong differences. Parents need to be aware of where and how their children tend to
follow in their footsteps (and alter the example if it is not a constructive one). And
parents need to understand how truly different a child may be--and accept that child,
rather than trying to make him or her over to fit the family image.
The more fully parents understand their own issues and
character tendencies as well as their children's, the more successfully they will raise
those children. Astrology can help people to create more loving, functional families
whose bonds of affection endure and whose members make the most of themselves and their
abilities.
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