Capricorns

So this week was my 42 birthday, but let's just say it wasn't one of my best birthdays, and move on from there without a lot of detail.

Since getting into Bey Blades, which are all named after zodiac signs and mythical creatures for th most part, I've been trying to explain the zodiac to Jake, which has been a rather large disaster, because astrology is not my thing. I couldn't name all the signs of the zodiac with a gun to my head, and I know I'm a Capricorn, but I had no clue what Jake is, and he's also a Capricorn. So for fun I looked up some personality traits of Capricorns, to see if they fit us.

What do you think?

"There is also a tendency to pessimism, melancholy and even unhappiness which many Capricorn are unable to keep to themselves, especially if they fail personally. In the extreme this trait can make them a very depressed individual; ecstatic happiness alternating with the most wretched kind of misery which is so subconsciously buried that he or she should seek help if such emotions become frequent."

Nope, that's not me at all, but apparently all Capricorns are bipolar, which is franklyboth weird, and kind of reassuring.

What about this one?

"Their intellects are sometimes very subtle. They think profoundly and deeply, throughly exploring all possibilities before deciding on a 'safe' alternative. They have good memories and an insatiable yet methodical desire for knowledge. They are rational, logical and clearheaded, and delight in debate in which they can show off their cleverness by luring their adversaries into traps and confounding them with logic."

That doesn't sound much like me either, there is nothing I hate worse than a debate.

Another for me:

"They are wary and cautious around people they do not know very well, preferring not to meddle with others and in turn not to allow interference with themselves. Casual acquaintances they will treat with diplomacy, tact and, above all, reticence. They make few good friends but are intensely loyal to those they do make, and they can become bitter, and powerful enemies. They sometimes dislike the opposite sex and test the waters of affection gingerly. If love fails they typically don't wade back in, or take a long time to do so."

O.K., maybe there is a little something to this astrology thing, it's kind of scarying me, although I'm glad I don't have any enemies, I sound pretty freaking scary.

My favorite though:

"I’ve only met two kinds of Capricorn adults – those that are horribly depressed because all they do is work work work and those who have a twinkle in their eyes like little elves who have just played a delicious prank and are simply waiting for everyone to notice."


So let's move on to Jake, and Capricorn children:

Capricorns can be strong-willed and will get what they want by slowly wearing down parental resistance.

Huh, interesting that may be something that has happened in our house.

But this...

Your child will need to be encouraged to spend time outside in the fresh air, since Capricorns are not usually very enthusiastic about sport or the outdoors. Sometimes they are very serious children who need to be encouraged to relax and play. Capricorns have a good sense of humour but cannot bear to be teased.

Not close at all, I've never seen a moment that Jake isn't willing to relax and play, and esp. outside with any kind of sport, he does though have a great sense of humor, and he does get a bit bent out of shape when being teased.

Finally parenting a Capricorn child, which is again kind of scary, and right on point:

"You don’t raise a Capricorn child, they have no need of parenting in the classical sense. Capricorn children are little old kings who can’t quite remember where they are or where they’ve placed their crowns. Being a Capricorn child is like having partial amnesia, you know that you know everything about everything but you just can’t quite remember it at the moment. You don’t want to let on to everyone around you that you don’t have a clue what the adults are talking about, so you simply wing it and join in with the belief that any minute now you really will know what is being discussed and won’t appear foolish or stupid. They walk around with their heads held high as if they haven’t lost their crown and soon enough, they become natural leaders."

This has definitely been my experience so far.

And this one I see a whole lot of Jake, and a whole lot of myself, which luckily makes us understand each other pretty well, and is one of the parenting areas we are able to avoid a lot of issues:

"They need for you to understand that they have an innate sense of right from wrong and that if you constantly harp on them about the rules, you are basically calling them stupid. They know the rules and they won’t forget them. Most of the time they will conduct themselves quite honorably. If they decide to break the rules, they either have a very good reason to set the rules aside or they have determined that the rule does not apply to them. Remember the old king thing? If they deem that your house rules are foolish and make no sense, then they will not follow them. If you are making rules just as a form of control and it interferes with something they feel like doing, then forget it. If you want a Capricorn child to follow your rules, then you have to explain to them why your rules exist. They will politely listen to you and as long as you aren’t blowing smoke, they’ll honor your rules simply because they know how much the rules mean to you. Loyalty and logic occasionally battle within their hearts, but whenever possible they will choose loyalty over logic."

I don't think I'm going to run get my sign read every month, or get all New Agey, but as a parent I really like this last one, and understand as a Capricorn exactly what it means:

"Capricorns know that they are smart and capable. They often end up coming across as if they are arrogant. What they don’t often know is if they are respected and if they are worthy of love. They have self-esteem issues because of this. They are so easily overlooked because they are self contained, responsible, and mature for their age, that parents don’t even realize when they are neglecting the emotional health of their little Capricorns. Give them a safe place to learn how to be smart and funny. Laugh and play with your Capricorn. Look them straight in the eye when you tell them how proud you are as they try to make a heart to heart connection with others."

Maybe from now on I won't snicker so much when someone says "what's your sign".