Wednesday, January 29, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 7 strength-based parenting down with each of your chil- dren and read through the list of character strengths, with an eye toward identifying their signature strengths (their seven most potent character strengths). A signature strength will feel natural to your child and will be easy for them to apply; it will feel essential to who your child is as an individual, and your child will find that using a signature strength is energizing. Children who are 11 through 17 can also take a free online survey at www. viacharacter.org that will pro- vide a profile of their 24 char- acter strengths, listing them from the strongest contribu- tor to their well-being to the weakest. You can also learn about the characteristics of each character strength at the website. The next step in adopting a strength-based approach to parenting is to compare your children9s signature strengths to your own (consider taking the free VIA adult survey). When you share a common signature strength, it will be easy for you to view the world from your child9s perspective and to value this particular strength. However, when one of your signature strengths contrasts sharply with your child9s, it may increase con- flict as you might not appreci- ate how this strength enhances your child9s life. For instance, the prudent parent who tries to avoid unnecessary risks or making mistakes may become exas- perated by the zestful child9s behavior when his or her energy and enthusiasm gets them into trouble in school. On the other hand, even the most prudent parent will find themselves grinning when they recall how their zestful child9s adventurous spirit and endless enthusiasm saved the last family camping trip when dreary weather brought down everyone9s mood. One of the limitations of a parenting style that stresses a child9s weaknesses is that a child may respond to feedback with defensiveness and rigid- ity. Utilizing a strength-based approach, misbehavior can Let us show you how much you can save this year! be reframed as a misapplica- tion of a signature strength, improving the odds that the child will respond positively to feedback. A strength-based parent speaking to a humor- ous child might say some- thing like this: