Temperament Trait - Persistence
This is the 6th in a series of 11 blog posts about temperament. (Click here to return to the beginning)
When observing a child for persistence we are looking at whether or not they stick with activities even in the face of obstacles, interruptions or difficulties.
Over the years I have looked, and listened out my window at the most persistent young man. He was a fan of basketball on TV and determined to be like the professional giants. His grandfather put up a net for him on a tree in the backyard. He practised whenever he could. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of lay-ups later he throws an accurate basketball, stars on his school team and helps coach the girls at his school.
To be determined and focused are wonderful qualities in an older child working towards a goal but persistent babies and toddlers are not easily redirected - a liability if they're engaged in unsafe behaviour. There are generally loud and lasting protests when a persistent toddler is scooped up and carried away.
At the high Persistence end of the spectrum
Baby will not be easily placated if a desired object is taken away
Toddler wanting to pet the cat will pursue it until scratched and then some
Child will need warnings and patience when being asked to stop an activity in which he is immersed
Teen will be goal oriented
Adult may be successful at sticking with a New Year's resolution
At the low Persistence end of the spectrum
Baby can be easily distracted
Toddler may start an activity but if it proves hard or dull may get frustrated and will move on
Child will start looking for a lost item, but if it is not found quickly, she will abandon the search
Teen may complain or quit if a task feels overwhelming
Adult will continuously reevaluate the benefit of a course of behaviour
What one person may call "stubborn" behaviour another may call "focused" or "tenacious" and as always, words matter. "Scatterbrained" can be reframed as "responsive to the environment" or a "good multitasker". Would you rather be called "rigid" or "determined"?
Persistent children need advance warning that time is up and will find it helpful to know that they can return to something later. Less persistent children will need help reducing distractions and will manage better when large tasks are broken down into steps or chunks.