Type Two. Two, two, two.

So I've been reading this book my sister read and just raved about, The Child Whisperer.  Think of it as The Color Code (one of my all-time favorite books), with numbers instead of colors.  It's fascinating.  I found some pictures to quickly tell you what the types of kids are:

As I've been reading, there have been a lot of Aha Moments and a lot of Huh? Moments and a lot of Wait, What? Moments and a lot of Then What On Earth Is He? Moments.

And obviously, there are a lot of overlaps.  The lady who wrote it, Carol Tuttle, says that there will be a dominant type in a child, with a secondary type attached. 

So I've been trying to figure out what my kids are.  I'm not completely positive, and I'm not totally done with the book yet, but I thiiiiink that Sadie is a Type One and that all of my boys are Type Threes. 

Type Ones and Type Threes are the high-energy types.

And I'm a Type Two.

Do you see why my kids stress me out?  Hahaha! 

As usual, I've been enjoying this book because mainly, it's been fun exploring me.  Me, me, me.  Oh, and my kids.  But mainly me.  Je suis une narcissiste, no?  A narcissistic Type Two.  (A bit of an oxymoron.  Emphasis on the moron.)

Yeah, there is a tonnnnnn of type one in me.  So as I was reading, I was all, "Yeah.  A type one.  That's me.  All the way."  But then I read type two, and it was like a lightbulb turning on above my head.  Like the clouds parting and angels singing, "Laaaaaaaaaaa....."

And it's been fun.  Kind of realizing things about myself and learning to honor myself for who I am instead of beating myself up for who I am.  Oh, and honoring my kids for who they are.  But we're talking about me here.  Wink.

But seriously, the reason I read this is because I'm just trying to grasp onto anything that will help me to be a better mom and understand the ninos better.  And as I'm reading, I'm taking mental notes and thinking about my kids and learning how to honor the way they came into this world - because there ain't no changing them - while still providing them with the boundaries they need to be safe and to treat others the way they should. 

But let's get back to me.  Me, me, me.  Some observations about Type 2:

Type 2 - The Sensitive Child.  Uh, yeah.  Biiiig time.

Primary Connection to the World:  Emotional.  Mmm-hmmmm.
Primary Movement: Subtle and flowing.  One would almost say balletic.  (I was a ballerina for 20 years.)
Primary Need:  To have feelings honored and everyone in the family feel loved and connected.  Ding-ding-ding!

A few other tidbits.  Type 2's:

*  Love making plans.  I have an entire plan drawn up for this area of my garden:

Like, literally, a drawing.  A diagram.  It will be amazing.

*Sensitive to others' feelings and comfort.

*When confrontations occur, Type 2's retreat.  Cannot handle it.

*Often blame themselves for things that go wrong with others.

*Worriers.

*They make birthdays and other big days a big deal for the ones they love.  Then expect others to do the same type of thing for them on their birthday.  And then they feel dumb for expecting so much of others.  It's just like that one episode of New Girl.  When Nick hadn't planned anything for Jess's birthday, and Jess was trying sooo hard not to expect anything of him, but kept secretly hoping that he had planned something huge.  You know that episode? 

Did I ever tell you that two of my Sunday School girls called me, "Like, the Mormon New Girl"?

I have never gotten a nicer compliment.

For reals.  I was like, "Reeeeeeeeeeeallyyyyyyyyyyy????  Eeeeeeeeee!!!"  Because I love Jess.

And I am SO MAD that she and Nick just broke up.  Grrrrr.

*A lot of yelling and fighting in the home will damage a Type 2's emotional state.  Which is unfortunate for me, since I live with a whole lot of yellers and fighters.

*Diplomatic.  Almost to a fault.  Don't want to communicate things that might make others uncomfortable.

*Good listeners.

*Because they're peacemakers, Type 2's sometimes get put in between two people who are having drama.  Always unintentionally becoming the middleman.  Which they really, really hate. I know from experience, dude. (What movie??)

*Comfort, comfort, comfort!  They need cozy, comfy spaces.  And comfy, cozy clothes.  I freakin' hate wearing my ski parka because the fabric is so harsh.  I only wear it when I go skiiing.  Which I can't afford to do anymore.  I hate long socks, because they itch my legs.  I hate having my hair in my face.  Which is why I wear it back every single day.  I put in earrings and pull them out like five minutes later. 

*They need quiet, alone time.

*They need their feelings validated.

Now what I'm struggling with in this book is the concept that Carol Tuttle puts out there that you can actually tell what type a child is from his face.  More so than from the list of personality traits.  That's where I'm having the Wait, What? Moments.  You can go on her website and see her profiling kids just by looking at their faces.  But the terms "chiseled features," "hooded eyelids," "s-curve cheek" (what in the H is that??), etc. are hard for me to figure out.  My sister, being the logical Type 4 that she is, is like, "Yeah, I don't buy into that."  And truthfully, I don't know how I feel about that, either.  I mean, I think it's thought-provoking.  And, obviously, if you're smiling a lot (A Type 1), you'll have more smile lines, right?  So that would show on one's face.  I don't know.  But I think that, just because you are "wide-eyed" doesn't necessarily mean you're a Type 1.  But maybe I'm wrong.  Whatevs.

All I know is that it's an interesting book and I'm having fun with it.  What do you think you are??

Oh, P.S., I think Ben is a total Type 1.  He is a party animal.  Always teasing, joking, singing, chasing, etc.  Which is why we're so good together.  He lifts me up into the clouds.  And I bring him down to earth. :)