Who Are You??

I've been frustrated with myself lately; feeling like I'm not a very fun mom. There's a reason why I feel that way. "Do something fun with the kids" wasn't on my to-do list. Those of you who know me personally are laughing knowingly. I love lists! I love schedules! I love order and structure! But mostly I love being productive. If I can check things off a list, then I've been productive. I've accomplished something- there's no better feeling in the world (in my opinion). This tendency is partly due to my being a firstborn, and largely due to my personality. I'm a Choleric Melancholy type. If you aren't familiar, here's the breakdown:

Choleric - born leader, organized, opinionated, enjoys controversy
Sanguine - outgoing, fun-loving, life of the party, disorganized
Melancholy - analytical, practical, perfectionist, rule follower
Phlegmatic - peaceful, easy-going, patient, indecisive

I found this quick personality test very accurate and quite detailed. It gives the strengths and weaknesses of each, as well as explaining how that personality acts at work, in relationships, and as a parent. Seeing in print that I'm an impatient parent both saddened and relieved me. I know what I need to work on. I've noticed that I am the most patient when I'm homeschooling. That doesn't make sense to you does it? The reason is because I'm accomplishing something. I could read books to my kids all day, but please don't ask me to sit down and mold play-doh with them. That will never be worthy of a check mark in my analytical mind.
My mother-in-law is also choleric, but she'll deny it till the day she dies. Most any Choleric will actually. Choleric is the one personality no one wants to admit to having. Especially women.
My best friends are also Cholerics. I think that's because we're the only ones who understand (or can stand) each other. Everyone else thinks we're bossy or overly opinionated. Don't be silly! We're just right. All the time.