One of the most exciting parts of watching your children grow up is watching them come into their own, especially as they start to show off their personality. Everybody has a personality, but when does it start, and how do you get to where you are now? Have you ever met an incredibly opinionated person? Don't you wonder where it all starts? It kind of makes you wonder if there are early signs your kid will be an opinionated person.
Even though it's exciting to watch your baby go from a tiny blob whose main goals in life are sleeping, eating, and pooping, things start to get interesting when they start to become a walking, talking tiny human with opinions and quirk. Although much of personality is determined by heredity, how you react to your child's actions over the course of time will also help shape them into the person they become. Think about your own personality — I bet you can trace plenty of it back to your parents, or back to the way you were raised, right? Your children will be no different. So if you're looking for early signs your kid will be opinionated, read on, and be sure to notice how you act and react around them, as your heredity and the environment you provide can affect your child's personality and opinions as they grow.
1They Ask A Lot Of Questions
Have you ever noticed that some children are why children? According to Dr. Allan R. Greene, children who ask why are looking for more information on a topic they find interesting. They don't do it to drive you crazy (although it certainly seems that way sometimes, doesn't it?), they ask because they're eager to learn about things and form their own opinions. Children who ask why are more likely to become opinionated children, because the more answers your child is provided with, the more they'll have at their fingertips to shape their worldview.
2They're Argumentative
Though you may write off an argumentative child as a child who has an attitude problem, most children go through a phase of being argumentative. And children who question your authority, who argue with what you say, are more apt to become opinionated adults than those who go with the flow. According to Parents there are many ways that children can start presenting argumentative behavior, and there are ways you can deal with a bad attitude that prevent children from behaving badly, but don't stunt them testing the waters of personality.
3You Argue With Them
According to Empowering Parents, if your child is trying to start an argument with you, don’t keep it going. Often times, parents feel the need to have the last word to feel like they're in control, but in reality, that only serves to make your child even more argumentative. Because personality is affected by heredity and environment, if you're providing a space where you argue with your child, rather than nipping the arguments in the bud, there's a good chance you've got both nature and nurture on your side, and are raising an opinionated kid.
4You & Your Partner Have Strong Opinions
According to Dr. David Funder, psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside and author of The Personality Puzzle, around 40 percent of a person's personality traits stem from inherited genes. Although this leaves a large margin for children to be influenced environmentally, children often mimic behavior they see within their own home. So if you or your partner have strongly opinionated personalities, your child is apt to follow in your footsteps.
5They Don't Adapt Easily
Kids who aren't quite as flexible when being introduced to new things in life are probably going to have a difficult time accepting other peoples opinions later on in their lives. According to Parenting, even small changes can seem big to children who don't adapt easily. Which is why they're more likely to stick to their own opinions. If they prefer what they know, then they're going to prefer their way of thinking over someone else's, no contest.
6They Have Intense Emotions
Does your child make their feelings known, loudly, no matter how they're feeling? If you've got a dramatic child on your hands, you may feel the need to coddle them consistently, but that's not always feasible. According to Parents, tntense babies who make their feelings known are more likely to become committed to their ideas, because they throw their full energy behind the way that they feel.
7They're Persistent
If your child isn't the type to give up easily, there's a good chance you've got an independent little one on your hands. If they're not afraid to try and try again, they're gearing you up for a world of persistence throughout their childhood. Kids who are persistent have a bigger and better chance at being opinionated, because having the mental strength and capability to stand their ground continually takes a lot of persistence. According to Parenting, if you've got a persistent child, keeping them engaged and providing them with activities that are challenging for them will keep them mentally stimulated, and more likely to follow through in the future with activities, and challenges.
