Astrology and Children

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.