Tuesday, February 19, 2008

The LIBRA Child

The LIBRA Child

"She's in that state of mind," said the White Queen, "That she wants to deny
something-only she doesn't know what to deny!"

"My, what a beautiful baby!" Parents of October infants hear that phrase so often,
they can be forgiven for feeling smug. The little Libran does seem to be a plump,
pink angel, right out of the pages of a baby book. With his sweet expression and
those pleasant, well-balanced Venus features, he's quite a charmer. He seldom kicks
off his blankets in red-faced, screaming rage, or punches Mommy in the nose when
she tries to give him his bottle. He's too well-mannered for such wild shenanigans.
When he smiles, it lights up the whole nursery. "My, what a dear, good baby! So
quiet and calm. So chubby and dimpled. Surely a gracious fairy touched him with
her magic kiss."

I don't like to play the role of the mean old witch at the royal christening, but would
you mind checking to see if he has a dimple in his chin? Most Libran babies do.
You found it? Well, just for fun, you might turn to the last page of your baby record
book and write a line Grandma was fond of quoting. "Dimple in chin-Devil within."
(Grandma may have secretly studied astrology.) There will come a time in the
future when you'll glance at that line and silently pay tribute to her wisdom.

It may be some morning when he's sitting at the table, slowly stirring his spoon in
first one dish, then another. The dish on the right contains his poached egg, all
nicely mashed the way he likes it. The dish on the left contains his oatmeal, all
nicely covered with brown sugar, the way he likes it. Both are getting ice cold, and
he hasn't taken a bite. Isn't he hungry? Yes, he's starved. Does he have a fever? No,
he feels fine. Is he angry about something? No, not at all. Then why does he sit there
so stubbornly and keep pushing his spoon-around like that? Why won't he take a
bite of something?

He can't decide which to eat first-the eggs or the cereal. You just compounded the
confusion by giving him a glass of orange juice and a piece of toast to try to tempt
him. That was a mistake. Now he'll never be able to make up his mind. Better just
forget breakfast today. Tomorrow morning, give him one thing at a time. First, the
orange juice. He drinks it. Then the cereal. He eats it. Next the eggs. He loves them.
Finally, the toast. As he sits there chewing happily, you'll be amazed that he ate all




his breakfast in less than ten minutes. You have just learned the most important
lesson in raising a Libra child. Never give him a choice. He hates to make a
decision.

If there's anything a Libran child hates worse than making up his mind, it's having to
make up his mind in a hurry. Don't rush him. Let's say he's learned to dress himself
and in the excitement of such an adventure, over a period of weeks, he forgot his
typical indecision. Now getting dressed is kind of old hat to him. You give him a
start by helping him into his training pants. You lay out his overalls, shirt, shoes and
socks. He sits there. "Get dressed, Harvey." He sits there. "Hurry up and get
dressed, Harveyl" •

The next thing you know, you'll be telling people your Libra child is stubborn.
That's not fair. A Taurus child is stubborn. Not a Libra child. You are trying to rush
him into deciding quickly which sock goes on which foot first. The whole thing is
difficult enough, but just when he had made up his mind to put the left sock on the
right foot, you shouted at him, disturbed his equilibrium, and now he's back where
he was in the beginning. Which sock first? You see, it's your fault, not his. How
does anyone expect him to make such a momentous decision if people are always
shouting and hollering and yelling at him? It hurts his ear drums, and besides, it
makes him forget what he was about ready to decide.

It's the kind of thing that can make you a little trembly, especially if you're the
nervous type, and you're not the only one. Someday there will be a wonderful girl
he's in love with. They will be discussing marriage. When and if. Hell sit there.
Should he? Or shouldn't he? The girl waits patiently. Hell have the same pained
expression on his pleasant features he has right now. Finally, "Harvey, are we going
to get married?" He sits there. Then: "Harvey, when are we going to get married?"
Poor girl. That's the same mistake you made with the orange juice and toast fiow he
has two things to decide. Not only should they get married, but when. You'll have to
have a talk with her.

But that's quite a few years off. Today it's the shoes and socks. Walk over to him
firmly and say, "Harvey, let's nut this sock on this foot first." Say it in gentle tones.
Don't scream or be shrill. If you can, put the words to music and sing it to him. He'll
love that. Now, you have removed two obstacles. You helped him decide, and you
created a pleasant atmosphere. In five minutes, he's dressed. That's what the girl will
have to do someday. She'll have to sing to him softly, "We're-getting-wed-on-June
26th" (to the tune of "Here Comes the Bride"). If she's the shy type, you may have
to wait a long time to become a grandparent. The happy ending to the story is this:
If you train him to make up his mind, without pushing, shoving or trying to rush
him, the girl will profit, too. By then, he will have mastered his indecision.

Libra children whose parents have confused their delicate balance by constantly
insisting that they decide things too fast often grow up with quite a neurosis about
choices. Suggest a solution to him gently, over and over again. Eventually, he'll pick
up the knack and you'll have helped him overcome one of his greatest difficulties.




Show him' how it's done. That's all. He may appear to be stubborn, but he's just
reacting in typical Libran fashion to discordant interruption and the emotional
trauma of being rushed through his careful moment of decision. He'd like to please
you, he really would, but he can be efficient only' when there's harmony of sound,
color and thought in his. world. Tension makes it hang crooked, like a lopsided
picture. When hasty grownups force a young personality into the wrong mold, it
may harden into an odd shape.

(It may help you feel less frustrated to know about my friend, a dental technician
whose wife presented him with two Libra children, three years apart, both girls. You
can just imagine what went on in that house every morningi Four shoes-four socks-
four feet-and two confused small minds. Until the parents discovered astrology,
those little Libra girls went barefoot nearly every day.

It will also help if you remember the reason behind your child's hesitancy. Libra
boys and girls are born with minds that seek the truth. They're kind-hearted, and
they want to be fair. Your youngster dreads making a mistake or misjudging
something. He hates to hurt your feelings, but his nature forces him to seek that
balanced answer before he rushes pell mell into things, including socks. Still, that
Libra caution builds character and it's great for avoiding accidents and keeping out
of trouble, both now and in the future. Think positive. The little Libran may take so
long deciding whether or not to draw a blue turkey on your living room wall, you'll
catch him before the damage is done.

If your Libra youngster is being falsely accused of stubbornness, it may be that you
keep the volume too high on the radio or TV. Perhaps the colors in his bedroom lie
behind his restlessness at night. Garish, clashing tones will keep his emotional
scales dipping back and forth. All shades of blue and pastels will quiet him, and it
really works, too. Play music-but softly-when you want him to eat, get dressed or
pick up his toys. If the sounds and colors around the Libran child are discordant, his
actions will match. Being forced to be a witness to any kind of violence can destroy
something deep inside him forever. Even as an infant, he'll jerk or tremble if he
hears a sudden noise. The Libra child needs peace, quiet and rest in large doses.

That brings us to another problem. Libra laziness. It isn't actually laziness at all. He
plays hard, for long periods, then he must rest. He isn't loafing. He's just gathering
himself together. The Libran pattern demands periods of activity-then inactivity. It's
the only way he can manage to stay emotionally and physically healthy. If he's made
to feel guilty about it, he'll really be lazy, in self-defense. When you see the Libran
youngster being idle, don't fuss. He'll soon have his inner scales balanced again and
be ready for action. He's just recharging his energy. His planets made him that way.
He can't change it.

Venus children are experts at softening hard hearts. They have such charming
manners, they wheedle so sweetly and who could resist those smiles and dimples?
The little Libran's gentle, endearing ways can turn his parents into two large genies
who grant his every wish and desire (not to mention various assorted magic elves in




the form of doting relatives). Consequently, these youngsters often start their school
days so spoiled they're well nigh impossible to handle. After all, you can't treat a tot
like a prince or princess for years, and then expect him to take orders. Young
Librans don't need discipline as much as they need less coddling.

The average Libra child, raised with the proper balance, is a delight to his teachers.
Their minds are bright and logical, they're fond of debate and they have a great
curiosity that makes them good students. However, once they start to read and learn
facts, both you and the teachers may be subjected to constant arguments.

It never works to make a flat statement to a Libra boy or girl. Always give both
sides of any issue, or they'll think you're being unjust. When you give the edge to
one side, the Libra student will make a big issue out of defending the other side until
he forces you to be fair. If you're partial to the pros, the young Librans will always
make a good case for the cons, which can give them a reputation for being rebels,
when nothing could be further from the truth. These children will be sticklers for
obeying the rules, as long as they've convinced themselves the rules aren't loopy.
The scales must always balance, or Libra feels an unpleasant tug. He'll argue away
until he feels things have been faced squarely, and the scales of justice are harmo-
niously lined up. October-born boys and girls always sharpen the wits of their
parents and instructors, because it takes some good, logical thinking to keep up with
them. They'll argue with you about everything from the newspaper headlines to
who's right or wrong in a family disagreement. The Libra child won't like to hear
grownups gossip. To him a confidence is sacred, and he also frowns on hasty
judgments of character. Hell take the side of your worst enemy if he thinks you are
wrong.

Never invade his privacy. He won't invade yours. Be »ure mealtimes are pleasant.
The girls will coax you to use candles and flowers; the boys will want a balanced
meal and will probably love sweets. There may be some problems with overweight
and the bathroom scales will get a workout.

One blessing about having Libra children is that if they haven't retreated into
resentment through harsh handling they'll usually be neat and clean without being
forced. Most of these boys and girls hate messes and an untidy house so much
they'll help to keep it neat. Since Libra is both musical and artistic, you may have a
budding composer or artist in the family, so make sure he has an 1-opportunity to
develop any latent talents.

The tiny Libra girl may dust your expensive powder all over her dress, pour your
best perfume over her curly bead, and hate to get out of the bathtub. She's just
reacting to Libra's love of beauty and pleasant things, like scents and warm water.
When she's a teenager, she'll monopolize the bathroom for hours with her bubble
baths and use up all your guest soap. Remember, she seeks harmony; and to her,
peace, beauty and comfort equal harmony.

The Libra boy may drive you to distraction with his snoozes in the hammock, and




his irritating way of always knowing more than you do about subjects that should be
over his heads. (Yes, sometimes you'll swear he has two.) But those periodic naps
are refreshing his energy. It didn't die, it's just replenishing itself. As for his know-
it-all attitude, he may be practicing on you for a future career as a lawyer. Take an
optimistic view. The jury will someday be his captive audience, but you can always
go start dinner or hide behind the evening paper. Encourage both boys and girls to
write if they feel an urge. Remember that Libra rules books, too.

The teenagers of both sexes will keep a constant cloud of romance hanging over the
house. There may be so many cases of puppy love youll feel as though you live in a
sentimental kennel-but even this shall pass away. Those wedding bells will ring
someday, and your Libra offspring will raise a nice, peaceful, balanced,
harmonious, argumentative family. Some sunny October morning you may once
again stand in front of a hospital nursery, and hear a nurse or visitor coo, "My, what
a beautiful baby! So dear and good. So quiet and sweet." And you'll say, with all
your hard earned wisdom, "Yes, but do you see that dimple in his chin?"

2 comments:

atiugram said...

That's so my son, Thankyou, maybe now I can communicate better with my son.

Gomez said...

two boys of mine are librans...the younger one only 6..with a dimple in his chin when he was born...this is so trueeeeeee.