Book Notes: A Spiritual Growth Plan for Your Choleric Child by Connie Rossini

“Does your child burst with energy, self-confidence, and determination? Does he struggle with pride, anger, and a desire to control everything and everyone around him? A Spiritual Growth Plan for Your Choleric Child explains the temperamental roots of your child’s behavior.”

If Connie Rossini’s succinct description of the choleric temperament seems to describe your child, then this is a book for the top of your reading list.

I only recently learned about the four temperaments by reading The Temperament God Gave You by Art and Laraine Bennett. And now that my oldest child is in middle school, I’m realizing that raising our children to be faithful disciples of Christ requires much more than making Rosaries out of pinto beans and Last Supper scenes from egg cartons.

I want to help my children deepen their spirituality as they mature. I want to help them develop a rich interior life and a meaningful relationship with God. But how do I do this? How do I reach this particular child with his unique personality in a way that will make sense to him?

Connie Rossini’s book holds the answers to all of those questions.

Jam-packed with practical tips and lessons, Connie starts her book with a clear explanation of the four temperaments, focusing on cholerics. (Watch for subsequent books covering the other three temperaments--soon to come.) Even if you have never heard of the four temperaments before, Connie will make you feel confident that you can correctly identify which of your children will benefit most from the concepts in this book.

After an overview of the meaning and means of spiritual growth, Connie leads the reader on a fascinating journey through the eyes of a choleric child. Parent-child relationships, sibling relationships, communication style, and even the items you choose to display in your home are all discussed from the choleric’s point of view. The chapter on teaching the choleric child, either in a homeschool or classroom setting leads into a detailed section on prayer development, complete with meditation exercises.

Connie provides an impressive list of saints and heroes, books, and bible verses that are especially appropriate for the choleric temperament.

The book concludes with detailed lesson plans for teaching the choleric child humility, becoming a servant leader, thinking before speaking, learning empathy, and carrying out the corporal works of mercy.

As Connie says at the end of her book, my choleric child “is destined to have a lasting impact on the world. Whether that impact is for good or for evil depends on the choices he makes. Will he use his gifts for God’s glory? Will he learn to humbly listen to others? Will he be a leader who serves, rather than one who lords over those under him?” Connie’s engaging book is sure to help you get to know your children better, so you can better help them make good choices. Pick up a copy today, and start building your own Spiritual Growth Plan for Your Choleric Child.

If you’re interested in purchasing this book, consider stopping in at your local Catholic bookstore first. It’s also available online, and if you use our Amazon link, CatholicMom.com gets a small percentage of the sales.

Be sure to check out our Book Notes archive.