Personality

Most Christians believe we are children of a Heavenly Father who lovingly sent us to earth to gain experience and hopefully return to live with him.

As Latter-Day Saints, we add background to that idea. We believe that before we came to earth we lived for an unrevealed amount of time with our Father in Heaven as his spirit children.  While in Heaven we learned and grew and decided to follow our Savior Jesus Christ.  The spirit that resided in Heaven is the same spirit that now occupies our earthly bodies, and is the same spirit that will continue on after this life, the righteous to eternal glory and the unrighteous to, well, not-so-happily ever after.

This spirit spoken of in religious circles is more commonly referred to as our personality.

It is no shock to anyone that we all have our own personalities.  But I think before I was a mother I might have been under the impression that babies came with a clean slate.  Then throughout the course of their early years acquired the personalities that I saw in my own friends and family.  You know, outgoing, shy, mean, nice, compassionate, motherly, rude, etc.

But, now I know.  I know that each little spirit I have been given the privilege of raising didn’t come as a clean slate, just waiting for me to write wonderful traits on.  Nope.  Each has definitely come with some kind of prior background and experience that effects the kinds of kids they are.

To illustrate, let’s take a look at each of my children at around the age of two.

Jack:

General idea of how life should flow:  The RIGHT way.  If we play a game we follow the rules.  Every toy was used the way it was meant to be used and in no other way.  Books were arranged neatly on the shelf (I wish I could still get him to do that).

General approach to problems encountered in life:  Ask for help.  If he couldn’t reach a ball or find a shoe or draw a circle, he would say, “Help you!”

 

Henry:

General idea of how life should flow:  Ah- Whatever.  We can try it this way, if it doesn’t work, I’ll think of something else- no biggie.

General approach to problems encountered in life: Figure it out.  Henry was always trying to find new uses for ordinary things.  Mixing toys, looking at the world differently.  He was (and is) very hands on, needing to see, feel and touch.

Eleanor:

General idea of how life should flow:  My way.  No exceptions.

General approach to problems encountered in life: If it isn’t working, throw it, kick it, hurt it, but above all, yell at it.

Now, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about this girl.  She is entirely sweet, thoughtful, and loving.  She makes friends easily, loves her brothers, and has passion for life.  She is just very strong willed.

Yes, more now than ever before, I know we all lived in Heaven with our Heavenly Father.  We were all different and unique then, just as we are now. 

These children were my brothers and sister in Heaven and they trusted me and Jared to teach them correct principles when they got here.  I am learning that because they are all so different, what works for one, won’t work for others.  I need to be creative and prayerful.  For though I have forgotten what they were like before we got here, our Father has not, and he can help.