The Aries Child

* To feel validated and special, an Aries child needs to think of themselves as a little hero. So to bolster their self-esteem, be sure to praise every minor act of bravery on their part and never make the mistake of calling them weak or wimpish, which would be the cruellest blow to their pride. Resist the urge to cosset or over-protect your little Aries. Their independence is of the utmost importance to them and even when tiny they hate to feel they are reliant on others’ help or guidance.

* For an Aries child, the call of adventure beckons at a surprisingly early age and the thrill of facing, and overcoming, danger will always represent an important motivating factor in their life. You can’t stop your Aries child from taking chances, but you can at least make sure the risks they do take are fairly well calculated and controlled. Because this child’s natural inclination is to rush headlong into hazardous situations, they need training to think things through properly rather than act purely on their instincts.

* An Aries child’s entrepreneural spirit will start to show itself right from the cradle. Acting on their own initiative and ‘doing their own thing’ comes naturally to an Aries child, while bowing to authority and dancing to someone else’s tune is a big no-no for them. Born with an exceptionally strong and healthy sense of self, they know exactly what they want, they’re very direct and insistent in their demands, and if faced with opposition they’ll fight ferociously for their rights.  Because an Aries child is so strongly assertive, as their parent you’ll have to find clever ways of letting them know you’re the boss without getting drawn into shouting matches and battles of will.

* It’s no good telling an Aries child not to go into battle because warrior energy runs deep in their blood! What you can do though, is teach them to fight fair, fight honourably, and only in defense of their own or others’ rights, while avoiding violence of all kinds. Helping them to understand the important difference between assertiveness and aggression and between directness and rudeness is a key factor here.

* It’s important to be aware that, even as a young child, Aries has a strongly developed ego and a ‘me-first’ approach to life. As number one in the Zodiac, this Sign sees things very much from its own perspective and can find it hard to relate to other people’s points of view. A mark of their powerful individuality, this self-centered, uncompromising outlook can sometimes create difficulties for an Aries child in their relationships with other kids, when left unchecked.