Unfortunately, the Parent role may be unwittingly eliciting this stiff and inhibited expression in the Adaptive Child by communicating with them from a posture of criticism or control.
The good news is that if the Nurturing Parent expression of the Parent ego can patiently tolerate the trail of destruction and pet hair let in the wake of the Little Professor, and the apparently silly nonsense and whimsy of the Natural Child, they may succeed in affirming the curiosity, vulnerability,
playfulness, and experimentation found in the healthy development of the Free Child.
The dependable safety and warm love of the Nurturing Parent creates an environment where these positive attributes can blossom in the child. It must be noted though that even with a creature as lovable and winsome as the Little Professor, all the attributes may not be positive.
Perhaps because of their natural tendency to experimentation and boldness, they tend to channel these qualities into a natural sense of how to manipulate people to get what they want. The same experimentation that allows them to know what happens when the dog's tail is pulled is the same tinkering that guides them to what buttons to push with mom and dad.
He or she is not constrained at all by the natural reserve and fear of the Adaptive Child. Because they have received healthy amounts of nurture and positive "strokes", they are on offense, not defense. The reason they have figured out what makes mom and dad tick and jump, is because they have to know what makes them tick.
They have an innate drive and fervor to know how something works. Mom and dad are not only a source of nurture and comfort for them; they are a source of challenge. People represent an intriguing puzzle and mystery to be solved, and once they know how to work, they can manipulate it to their ends.
These little hot wires like cute with dog tails and remotes in their hands. But watch out, their coming after you next!
(continued from part 1)