We all love our children to bits - but wouldn't it have been nice if they had come with an instruction manual? The good news is that they *did* - well, kind of, at least. Your child's natal chart holds the key to understanding him or her and to helping your child fulfill his or her true potential. These sun sign profiles are only a tiny part of the story, but we hope you find them useful and interesting as a starting place in understanding your astrological child.

Your Aries Child (21^st March – 20^th April)

Be Proud Of: Courage, Confidence, Assertiveness, Pioneering Spirit

Watch Out For: Selfishness, Quick Temper, Impulsive Behaviour, Impatience

Your Aries child, at first glance, would seem to be quite easy to look after – being, after all, essentially direct and uncomplicated. With this sign, what you see is very much what you get, so you needn’t worry too much about hidden anxieties and psychological difficulties. Stimulation and a sense of achievement are however vital to the Aries child – and without these two things, they can rapidly become extremely difficult to live with.

Deep resources of determination help the Aries child face up to any challenge, although they do have a tendency to rush in where angels fear to tread; it will always be beneficial if you can persuade the little Aries to think before they act – otherwise they are apt to learn the hard way.

Perhaps the worst Arian fault, certainly in youngsters, is selfishness, which will rear it’s head in every Aries child at some point (and very persistently in some). Arian children are passionate about absolutely everything which is important to them – and that includes their possessions and their opinions. When they refuse to share a toy, or make a loud and unkind remark about another child, they don’t see it as beings selfish, more as asserting their right to do and say as they please. Arian children with younger siblings usually learn to deal with their selfishness much better than those who are only children or who are the ‘baby’ of the family.

Your Aries child will display a great deal of enthusiasm in his or her day to day life – but be warned that this enthusiasm can wane very quickly as the child moves on to the next interest. In other words, before spending a lot of money on a hobby or interest that seems to have caught your child’s attention, make sure they are going to stick at it for long enough to appreciate your efforts.

Patience is not an Aries strong point, which sometimes means that progress at school can be patchy for your Aries child. If they are lucky their surges of enthusiastic study will come at the right time, before tests and examinations. However, it will only take one or two bad results, when the Aries child sees his or her peers sailing ahead, in order to concentrate the mind and ignite their competitive instinct, thus spurring them into keeping up. A broad range of subjects will appeal to the Aries child, but again the enthusiasm for each particular subject may wax and wane with his or her mood.

It can be rather tricky to strike a happy balance in discipline for the Aries child. Restrictions and rules just don’t suit their temperaments, but if allowed too much of a free hand they quickly become unmanageable. The key is to provide sensible rules and – crucially – to explain the reasons behind the rules well to your child. Aries children respond well to logical explanation, but their adventurous spirit will not toe the line on rules that are imposed just for the sake of it.

Plenty of exercise is a must to keep your Aries child happy and healthy – and often young Arians just can’t seem to keep still. Whilst encouraging an early love of activity and sports, do take care that your little one plays and exercises safely – that Arian tendency to act first and think about it later can have dangerous consequences.

As your Aries child grows into a teenager and then an adult, the competitive side of their nature will become more and more apparent, especially once they begin to make career choices. Freedom in the career is essential to the Aries person, who just does not suit routine and humdrum work. Engineering and electronics are popular fields (Aries people don’t usually mind noisy or dirty environments in the least), and the armed services, psychiatry and dentistry are all traditional career routes for this sign too. With a good head for business, as well as that pioneering spirit, many Arians are in their element becoming self-employed, where the only restriction on their ambitions is their own time and energy.

Your Taurus Child (21^st April ~ 21^st May)

Be Proud Of: Be Proud Of: Patience, possessiveness, Warm Heart, Common Sense, Determination

Watch Out for: Self-Indulgence,Stubborness,Greed

The Taurus child is a reliable sort, but in order to be at their best, they do need a stable and secure background. Emotional security is very important to them, and change – especially change they feel powerless to do anything about – frightens them.

Common sense is one of the Taurus child’s greatest assets, and their minds are logical and methodical, working out the answers to problems in a systematic and sensible way. They are not very flexible, however, and often need a gentle reminder that even carefully made plans have to be changed sometimes. A stubborn attitude often needs loosening up.

Perhaps the most obvious potential problem for a little Taurean is selfishness, which goes hand in hand with possessiveness. Unwilling to share with other children, toys and books will be guarded as if their lives depended upon it. Early exposure to other children will help resolve this trait, as will a ‘reward’ system encouraging sharing and tolerance of others.

This possessiveness extends not only to toys and material ‘things’. If the Taurean child feels that his emotional security is threatened, they can become almost obsessively clingy, and jealous of the attention a parent pays to anyone else (even including the other parent!) Normally, however, this tendency shows itself merely as a very affectionate child, always pleased to see you and one who genuinely enjoys your company.

Taurus children have a great deal of natural charm, with soft voices, a gentle demeanour and a sympathetic understanding of those they love. Fond of routine, they need to know that particular things are going to happen at a particular time. Taurean babies often smile very early, and usually appear content. They may walk later than expected, however – some are even lazy about crawling, let alone walking! This is not through any lack of physical skill, rather a liking for taking it easy. ‘Laid back’ is certainly a term that applies to most Taurus children.

When the Taurus child learns something, he learns it well, and for good. Their school days may not see the meteoric rise to the top of the class that some other signs exhibit, but their steady progress is often more beneficial in the end. They will learn new skills step by step, and use their reserves of common sense in building up their expertise.

These children love to play, but they do need encouragement to get physical exercise as well as mental tasks. Because they love to be outdoors, you could encourage gardening, for instance, as an interesting hobby. Taureans often have lovely musical talents too, so learning an instrument or singing lessons would be beneficial if they show an interest in this area. They love their food, and are rarely fussy eaters – indeed, some enjoy food rather more than is good for them! – and learning to cook will be a great source of joy for them.

As you Taurus child grows up, their personality will develop, of course. As they mature into adulthood you will notice plenty of ambition along with a good business sense. Faithful, romantic and loyal, your little Taurus can in all likelihood look forward to a rewarding career and a happy, stable family life.

Your Gemini Child (22^nd May – 21^st June)

Be Proud Of: Be Proud Of: Vitality, Versatility, Intellectual Ability, Communication Talents

Watch out for: Superficiality, Inconsistency, Nervous Tension

The Gemini child is a versatile and flexible sort, usually quite good at all sorts of things, but not necessarily exceptional at any of them. Superficiality is their worst problem, which means that although they have the intellectual ability to excel in a particular subject, they don’t always have the patience or the tenacity to bother. They often also find it difficult to finish what they have started, and tend to flit from one project to another as the fancy takes them.

Gemini children love to be always on the go, and love being able to do more than one thing at a time. These are the children who will happily paint a picture whilst chatting to a friend and simultaneously entertaining a younger sibling at the same time. Conversation and communication are vital to them, and they often learn to talk at an early age. Similarly, their writing and communication skills are often also well developed at an early age.

A curiosity about all things and all people makes for an interesting childhood – Gemini children are often the ones who ask the most awkward questions, simply because they have to know! Their lively minds work quickly, and their sense of humour is often mature beyond their years. It is essential that the Gemini child has plenty of stimulation – boredom is one thing they really cannot tolerate.

Usually, your Gemini child will be bouncy and healthy, full of vitality. However, they are essentially logical beings, and don’t always learn to handle their emotions well. When there is a conflict between their heart and their head, as there often is in childhood, these children often internalise their feelings, leading to nervous tension, faddy eating and ‘school-itis’.

Gemini children often do very well at school, although a certain amount of this is frequently ‘bluff’. These children really have kissed the blarney stone and are able to write reams and reams of opinion in an examination – but often backed up by very few facts.

The only potential problem in their school lives – as indeed in their family lives now and in the future – is a dislike of routine. Schools unfortunately cannot always cater for the lively Gemini mind, and at this point it is vital that parents step in and try to maintain the child’s interest at home through fun and educational activities.

As you Gemini child grows up, their personality will develop, of course. As they mature into adulthood you will notice plenty of energy, together with a love of debate and discussion. Your little Gemini will in all likelihood have many partners before he or she settles down (being notoriously picky!), but when they do settle down they invariably look forward to a lively and interesting future.

Your Cancer Child (22^nd June – 22^nd July)

Be Proud Of: Be Proud Of: Kindness, Imagination, Protective and Sympathetic Nature, Shrewd Mind

Watch Out For: Moodiness, Shyness, Over-Cautiousness, Defensiveness

The Cancer child is usually very placid and serene, with a loving and sympathetic disposition. When annoyed or irritated, however, that calmness soon tightens into a frown, and they are often very quick to lose their temper, and quite sharp and snappy when they do. Easily hurt themselves, Cancer children nevertheless find it hard to realise that their moods and tantrums can hurt other people.

Your Cancer child sees her world through an emotional, imaginative and intuitive screen, and she certainly thinks with her heart rather than with her head. This can lead to wonderful creativity in writing or arts, but she does need to work on and develop her logical self too, otherwise an over-active imagination will make any minor worries into major issues.

It can be hard to keep track of a Cancer child’s moods – one moment they can be on top of the world, the next moment in a right royal sulk, often for no apparent reason. That said, however, these children are wonderfully affectionate and loving, and really enjoy cuddles and being close to the family. They are also particularly sensitive to their environment – even a Cancer baby will quickly pick up on any tension in the atmosphere, and become unsettled as a result.

One of the strongest Cancerian traits, especially noticeable in children, is a remarkable memory – these youngsters often seem to know more about the past than the present! Little Cancers also love to collect things – this adds to their sense of security, especially if they can follow in some kind of family tradition with their collections. However, beware that ‘collections’ can quickly become a code word for ‘untidiness’ – sorting through toy cupboards etc. can be a real nightmare when the Cancer child refuses to let anything at all be stored away. Cancerian moodiness does tend to make for fussy eaters, so some discipline at mealtimes is probably sensible.

The first few weeks at school, or indeed the first few weeks in any new environment can be very stressful for young Cancerians. Parents must resist the temptation to chivvy the child along and tell them not to be silly – their fear and apprehension is very real to them. The early years of schooling are when their protective and defensive instincts really start to develop, which can make them quite shy and wary at first. However, on the positive side, this is also the age at which these little Cancers develop their lifelong protective feelings towards siblings and family. Faced with a family member in trouble, even the shyest Cancer child becomes a tower of bravery.

As you Cancer child grows up, their personality will develop, of course. As they mature into adulthood you will notice plenty of tenacity and determination, together with a love of nostalgia and lots of empathy. Home and family will always be a source of security for them, and adult Cancerians usually can’t wait to have children of their own. Traditionally, the caring professions attract sun-sign Cancers, but professions connected with the past (antiques? museums? history teachers?) also appeal greatly, as does cookery. Whatever career they choose, fulfilment will be more important to your little Cancer than money ever will be, and they can look forward to a satisfying and principled future.

Your Leo Child (23^rd July – 23^rd August)

Be Proud Of: Generosity, Creativity, Enthusiasm, Loyalty

Watch Out For: Arrogance, Intolerance, Inflexibility, Dogmatism

Your Leo child has a sunny disposition and ready enthusiasm from a very early age. Generous and warm-hearted, they are fond of open displays of affection, and very loving. Naturally good with organisation, the Leo child likes a certain amount of fixed routine in their lives, and left to their own devices older children will be organising the whole household!

Bossiness is a common trait too, however, and even very young Leos can often be found putting other children – and adults – firmly in their place. Sibling rivalry with a young Leo in the house can be very real indeed. Leo confidence, however, is often not quite as strong as it seems. Much of it is a bluff, and little Leos are surprisingly easily hurt and deflated. Gentle criticism of a Leo child must be done with humour and affection, else their confidence can be severely crushed.

Your Leo child should be actively encouraged to listen to the opinions of other children, even if they do not share them. Leos can be very dogmatic and quite narrow-minded on their favourite topics, so it is important to encourage breadth of vision from an early age. It may be tricky to distinguish this child’s stubbornness from determination – the first needs to be gently eased, whilst the second of course should be encouraged.

If your Leo child shows a particular interest in any hobby or past-time, you can be assured that it is an interest which will last many years, if not a whole lifetime. Leo enthusiasms are constant and stable, they do not come and go as other children’s might. Likewise, because Leos are often fixed in their ways, it is vital to establish good childhood habits in diet, exercise, manners and so on – it is very difficult to change a Leo’s behaviour once they are into their teenage years or beyond.

A powerful creative urge is present when the Sun is in Leo, and it is a huge shame not to encourage a child to express this. Not every Leo child will be ‘artistic’ – there is a difference between artistic and creative. Some will indeed excel at painting, drawing or craft works, but others will ‘create’ in plays, in the kitchen, in the garden or with sewing, stories or inventions.

Leo vitality is strong, and these children are generally full of energy and brightness, alert and on the go the whole time. It is important to encourage good sleeping habits, as even very young children can burn themselves out. The heart and the back are the parts of the body traditionally associated with Leo, and both of these need regular exercise in order to stay healthy. Dancing, ice-skating or gymnastics – forms of exercise with a creative element – are especially appealing to little Leos and should be encouraged.

As you Leo child grows up, their personality will develop, of course. As they mature into adulthood you will notice plenty of vigour and determination, together with a love of drama and lots of exuberance. Adult Leos need a sensitive, admiring partner who can gently but firmly boss them about just as much as they are being bossed! In a career, emotional involvement is essential for the Leo to feel fulfilled. Acting and the theatre are traditional career routes, but often glamour or luxury trades appeal too, as does the executive business world where they can use their innate organisational abilities. The law is also a common career for those with a strong Leo – especially the Bar, where they can indulge their love of drama within the courtroom.

When she comes to have children of her own, your Leo child will be an enthusiastic and encouraging parent, setting a high standard for her children. Throughout her life, she will remain warm-hearted, sunny and very much alive, and can look forward to an exciting and fulfilling future.

Your Virgo Child (24^th August – 22^nd September)

Be Proud Of: Be Proud Of: Modesty, Reliability, Intelligence, Diligence

Watch Out For: Shyness, Fussiness, Anxiety, Overly critical nature (of self and others)

Your Virgo child is in constant motion, thanks to an abundance of nervous energy. It’s vital that all that energy has something constructive to do, otherwise restlessness and boredom sets in all too fast. Tension, mixed with over-worry is the most serious potential problem with little Virgos, and even the tiniest children can benefit from learning some relaxation techniques – make a game of it, and you’re half way there!

The little Virgo is a very practical child, with a great deal of common sense, and an acute critical ability. This ability will stand them in good stead when it comes to some of their school work, but left unchecked they can easily lose their fragile self-confidence when their inner voice nags at them too much.

Very communicative thanks to their ruling planet Mercury, Virgo children love to talk, and are lively in arguments and debates. With a very good head for detail, they are also good at forward planning and may well surprise you with the maturity of some of their plans.

Generally neat and clean (although a lot depends on the other planetary positions in their chart), your Virgo child loves books, reading and writing. Handwriting is usually clear and legible, and school work is meticulously researched and presented. A very hard and willing worker, little Virgos often appear to be the typical ‘teacher’s pet’ – this is not the case, they just love to keep busy and cannot see the point in idle, wasted time.

Other children sometimes mis-interpret your little Virgo’s shyness as diffidence or stand-offishness, so it is important to try to encourage the Virgo child to socialise as much as possible. Instinctively flexible, you will find this child quickly adapts to new people and new places, so long as they are given the opportunity.

As your Virgo child grows up, their personality will develop, of course. As they mature into adulthood you will notice plenty of energy and determination, together with a love of learning and lots of planning. Adult Virgos need an understanding, intelligent partner who can gently bring them out of themselves and inspire their confidence. Once relaxed and settled, many Virgos surprise their loved ones with their walks on the wild side!

In a career, Virgos like to work behind the scenes, and need to feel useful and appreciated in order to feel fulfilled. Writing, journalism, administration and teaching are traditional career routes, but often medicine (conventional and alternative) appeals too, as does the executive business world where they can use their innate organisational abilities.

When she comes to have children of her own, your Virgo child will be an enthusiastic and encouraging parent, setting a high standard for her children. Throughout her life, she will remain hard-working and diligent, and can look forward to an exciting and principled future.

Your Libra Child (23^rd September – 23^rd October)

Be Proud Of: Be Proud Of: Diplomacy, Charm, Sociability, Idealism

Watch Out For: Indecisiveness, Gullibility, Self-indulgence, Laziness

Your Libra child needs balance and harmony in her life, above all else (except love, of course!). She hates discord of any kind, and is very sensitive to an ‘atmosphere’ in the home. Quite the little peacemaker, she will go out of her way to try to soothe ruffled feathers in a charmingly naïve fashion.

However, her love of peace and quiet can be a double edged sword, as it often means that she will give in too easily to other stronger, more vocal personalities. When faced with a problem, little Libran’s often bury their heads in the sand and hope that it will go away, rather than seeking help to deal with it. She doesn’t want to rock the boat at any cost.

Because she has a deep dislike of hurting or offending anyone, your Libra child may also find it difficult to make decisions, especially when choosing or favouring one person over another – indecision is perhaps the worst Libran problem. Librans don’t like to be alone, and that applies just as much to children as to adults, so it is important, especially if she is an only child, to encourage social interaction with other children, so that she finds it easy and natural to make friends. Her natural charm and easy, laid back manner make her a popular child, but her self-esteem can fluctuate.

Although Libra is often thought of as a lazy sign, that is not altogether fair. Although the Libran child dislikes mess, and is quite 'refined’ in her activities (no mud pies for her), she has plenty of physical energy when offered the opportunity to use it creatively. When her attention is caught and held, she is an active, energetic child who doesn’t like to waste time.

We have already mentioned indecisiveness above – when faced with a choice, a favourite Libra child’s ploy is to ask ‘Which would you choose, Mummy?’ Rather than giving in to this ploy, it is vital that you encourage her to examine all of the options for herself.

It’s worth noting that Libra children do bear grudges, considerably more than other signs. A Libra child who feels she has been treated unfairly at home or at school will allow it to interfere with her life a great deal until she feels that she has been vindicated.

At school, she will excel at the arts subjects, and will also develop a love of literature. Not especially technically minded, she may need to be encouraged in maths and science subjects, and may well take an early dislike to sport, on the grounds that getting grubby and sweaty isn’t very lady-like (yes, even the boys can come up with similar excuses!). With good intellectual potential, however, she has the ability to enjoy her education and to do well at school – provided she wants to.

As she grows up and matures, you will notice many of these childhood traits develop into adult ones. Your Libra child will always hate to be alone, even as an adult, and may well fall into the trap of ‘any relationship is better than none’ when they start to take an interest in the opposite sex. You can rest assured, however, that once they have found their feet, Librans nearly always marry for love – although social climbing into the bargain isn’t to be sneezed at for them either. She is basically a pure romantic, though, and very much in love with love. Although always exceedingly generous, your Libra child will need to be sure as she grows up that she is being generous for the right reasons, and not just trying to buy affection.

Librans often enjoy impressive, glamorous careers, and traditional career routes include the film industry (whether as a star or a make-up artist), the luxury trades of fashion, beauty and cosmetics, or work with animals. Strangely enough, given their peaceful nature, many Librans are also attracted to the armed forces, in which they seem to do very well. The diplomatic service is another traditional career route, utilising their natural tact and diplomacy to full advantage.

As your Libran child grows up and becomes a parent herself, she will very much want to follow in your footsteps, and perhaps the greatest compliment she can pay you will be when she wants to raise her own children just as she was raised.

Your Scorpio Child (24^th October – 22^nd November)

Be Proud Of: Be Proud Of: Passion, Intuition, Determination, Perception

Watch Out For: Jealousy, Resentfulness, Obstinacy, Obsessive Behaviour

Your Scorpio child has tremendous reserves of energy; it is often thought, quite unfairly, that Scorpio is the ‘worst’ of the Sun Signs. This is untrue, of course, but it is true that this sign’s energies are so powerful that they can seem to be over-powering and even inhibiting. This is very much a ‘driven’ child – but the Scorpio energies, if expressed positively, can give rise to a positive, passionate expression of life to be proud of.

If, however, the energy flow is inhibited, then the Scorpio child can easily become resentful, jealous and broody. Your Scorpio child is capable of much perceptive, penetrating, serious thought, and an ideal way to keep the energy flowing freely is to provide your little one with plenty to keep their mind occupied.

With a natural talent for research, the Scorpio child wants to dig to the bottom of everything. They will not accept superficial answers to anything, and don’t take too kindly to being ‘talked down to’, either. When this little one starts asking awkward questions, you would do well to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth – in a manner appropriate to his or her age, obviously. On the plus side, this intense search for knowledge often makes for a very wise child, with considerable intellectual ability.

Scorpio children love to keep busy, but they are quite happy with their own company provided that they have something stimulating to do. Indeed, these children are often uncomfortable elder siblings, as they become jealous so easily, and can also be very stubborn. It doesn’t seem to be so much of a problem if they are the younger sibling. The key to working around the jealousy is to appeal to the Scorpio child’s sense of responsibility, by making him or her feel involved in caring for any younger siblings.

When a Scorpio child is upset, he or she will often become extremely quiet and withdrawn – they do not find it easy to express their seething emotions, and should definitely be encouraged to speak about their feelings from an early age. Any hobby or interest that really catches a young Scorpio’s eye should be strongly encouraged – interests will tend to stay with them for life, and a deeply held passion will help to burn up emotional as well a physical energy.

At school, the young Scorpio will probably be a serious student, again disliking superficial knowledge about anything. Particularly drawn to literature, creative writing and physics or chemistry, these children nonetheless often have a very wide range of talents – but they will not waste their time on something that does not interest them, which can lead to irregular school results. Often quite sporting, a young Scorpio may enjoy heavy team games, watersports, skating or dancing.

Scorpio children do need privacy, and parents should be careful not to fill a child’s day to such an extent that there is no time for them to just quietly reflect by themselves. Although generally strong and robust, these children do sometimes suffer stress caused by bottling up their concerns and worries – cultivating an easy expression of feelings is key to their health and well-being.

As your Scorpio child grows up, finding a loving partner will be essential for their future happiness – and Scorpio adults can be rather demanding of a partner, so it may take them a while to find the right balance and to settle down. Your grown-up Scorpio will need to be very emotionally involved in his or her career, as they will not work for money alone. They do also, however, need financial and emotional security, so a career in quite a solid, traditional background is likely. With a keen sense of purpose, they may well end up making quite a lot of money, but this will be a secondary consideration for them. Engineering is a good career route for both girls and boys, as are the mining and oil trades, which are traditionally associated with Scorpio. Other possible career routes include the wine trade, the navy, importing and exporting – and of course, they make superb and very natural researchers and detectives!

Your Sagittarius Child (23^rd November – 21^st December)

Be Proud Of: Optimism, Humour, Honesty, Broad-Mindedness Be Proud Of: Optimism, Humour, Honesty, Broad-Mindedness

Watch Out For: Carelessness, Rudeness, Irresponsibility, Restlessness

Your Sagittarian child has enthusiasm, optimism and zest for life that are second to none. However, a tendency to take risks can easily become fool-hardiness in a young child, and these little ones often need even more supervision than other children because of their disregard for their own safety.

If the Sagittarian natural exuberance isn’t controlled and channelled in a positive way, it can easily become boisterous and out of hand. The tendency to act or speak first and think about it later also means that these children are not particularly tactful – in fact, downright rude is sometimes a fair description. Parents need to find a way to gently help little Sagittarians to understand the impact their words and actions can have on others, especially on other children.

Tremendously versatile, and with great intellectual potential, Sagittarian children (like the adults!) are however extremely restless and must always be on the go. This can mean that projects never get finished and that interests that fascinated one day are discarded the next. Again, parental guidance is needed for these little ones to appreciate the satisfaction and self-esteem that comes with completing a task.

Sagittarius confers great breadth of vision on these children, and they are amongst the most broad-minded and tolerant youngsters in the zodiac. They don’t mind what anyone else does or is – so long as they get equal freedom in return. Although they absorb learning material at an astonishing rate, they are often not quite so good on the detail of what they have learnt - yet again, consistency of effort needs to be stressed.

Achievement feeds enthusiasm for your Sagittarian child, whether in the classroom, on the sports field or at home. At school, young Sagittarians sometimes find it difficult to accept authority if imposed in an autocratic way, but they do respond very well to reasoned logic and will obey rules well provided that they are able to understand the reason for them. Definitely not responding well to being ‘talked down to’, the best way to deal with a Sagittarian child in a tantrum is to appeal to their logic.

Young Sagittarians are very good with change, and cope easily with domestic upheavals such as house moves that upset and terrify less adaptable types. Indeed, a change is as good a rest for them, and they are usually open to the challenge of something new. They do need reminding, however, that the grass is not always greener elsewhere, and this zodiac sign above all others needs to learn to value what they have rather than what they think they might like!

Travel is very inspirational to young Sagittarians, and they often have an innate love for and understanding of foreign cultures and peoples. To go with this, an early talent for foreign languages frequently emerges, and any such signs should certainly be whole-heartedly encouraged.

As your Sagittarian child grows into a teenager and then an adult, finding a life-partner will be an ‘interesting’ experience for them. Sagittarians often take longer than usual to settle down, not from any lack of interest in the opposite sex (quite the reverse), but because it takes them a while to sow their wild oats and to find a partner who can cope with their demands for freedom. The independent spirit of your little Sagittarian will begin to emerge with a vengeance once he or she reaches the teenage years, and these children often go through prolonged (but harmless) rebellious stages. Career-wise, he or she will need a challenge, and preferably a job that is not routine. Many Sagittarians prefer to work out of doors (work with horses or livestock is a traditional association of this sign), or alternatively areas such as engineering, building and archaeology can attract them. On a more indoor theme, publishing, the law and even the Church are all traditional career routes for this sign, as is teaching at university level. The older your Sagittarian gets, the more he or she will discover their social conscience and their philosophical bent – by the age of mid twenties, many Sagittarians are well ensconced on their own personal search for ‘the truth’.

Your Capricorn Child (22^nd December – 20^th January)

Be Proud Of: Ambition, Patience, Self-Discipline, Perseverance

Watch Out For: Pessimism, Inflexibility, Inhibition, Cynicism

Your Capricorn child is full of contrasts. On the one hand, here is a child who can be full of confidence and ambition to succeed, but at the same time, here is a child who sometimes suffers terribly from self-doubt and a pessimistic outlook. Capricorns of all ages can be very hard to understand, but children especially so.

Your little Capricorn abhors ‘fuss’, especially in public, and will always want to be seen to do ‘the right thing’. At home, in private, however, they have a wonderfully wry and offbeat sense of humour that is often older (and more cynical) than their years.

Patience and perseverance are perhaps two of your young Capricorn’s greatest talents, and, whilst often under-rated alongside more flamboyant youngsters, these children prove the rule that ‘the race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running’. In their more confident moments, Capricorn children are a joy to behold, full of belief in themselves and in their undoubted talents. When their confidence desserts them, however, a depressed Capricorn child would break the heart of any parent. Perhaps more than any other sign, little Capricorns desperately need plenty of tender loving encouragement from their parents, and it is essential that any criticism of them is both constructive in nature and lovingly delivered.

Capricorn children are very loyal, and love to express their natural pride in their parents. Parents in turn should realise that these little ones need a highly structured home life in order to feel secure. They need to know what to expect from their daily life, and quickly become unsettled and lethargic if they feel that any change is out of their control. The younger the child, the more likely this is to show.

Perhaps the best reward for a young Capricorn child is not, as you might expect, extra pocket money – rather plenty of loving praise and extra responsibility. Young Capricorns love to feel that they are contributing towards the family and that they play a useful and valued part within it. Appealing to their sense of responsibility and ambition will reap dividends in bolstering their self-confidence and self-esteem.

Being quite a versatile sign, little Capricorns find it relatively easy to entertain themselves, and have a wide range of interests and enjoyments. An earth sign, they have a particular love of helping in the garden, and of long country walks – and they usually love the rain. This is also a very musical and literary sign, so music lessons and plenty of books will be much appreciated. Capricorn interests tend to be born in early childhood and remain for a lifetime, so if your little Capricorn shows an interest in – say – astronomy, you can rest assured that any expensive equipment you buy for them won’t be discarded on a whim.

Despite sometimes appearing so serious, Capricorn children who are in a loving and warm family environment blossom beautifully as they grow. They are usually very affectionate children in public, and interact very well with any siblings be they older or younger. Wise, thoughtful and quietly caring, these children ask for nothing more than your time and your love – given that, they are happy.

As your Capricorn child grows up, the sense of ambition that they have always nurtured will become very dominant for a while. Intensely career orientated, young Capricorn adults will set themselves a task of finding a good career and find it they will. Brilliant in top leadership positions that other signs may find either too lonely or too stressful, Capricorns are every Chief Executive or Chairman material, and tend to excel in the business world. However, being such a persevering sign, they are always happy to start on the bottom rung, secure in the knowledge that their talent will get them to where they want to go. Capricorns are careful with money – other people’s as well as their own, and for that reason traditional career routes include banking, insurance, finance, and real estate. Other popular routes include dentistry and osteopathy, politics or local government. Many a Capricorn becomes self-employed, for which they are ideally suited. Only after their career route is sorted out will your grown up Capricorn turn his or her hand to love and to a family life – but, being so careful in their choice of partners, their marriages tend to be the most enduring of all the zodiac signs.

© elysian.co.uk 2002
nikki@elysian.co.uk

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