I’ve been obsessed with the Myers Briggs personality test since college, using it as a tool for personal reflection. To me, it reiterates the idea that we really are all fundamentally different (as much as we are the same), that there is a sort of a core way that we function, a set disposition. And that it’s not a bad thing, it just is. Awhile back, I ran across the same test, tailored toward parenting styles. It’s a positive and interesting way to look at the way you parent, drawbacks included.

I like to read mine, INFJ, sometimes on a bad day.

The know-thyself mother Sensitive and family-focused, the INFJ mother encourages the unique potential of each child. Her aim is to help her kids develop a sense of identity, and she seeks a free exchange of feelings and thoughts to that end. In fact, she may value the mothering experience as a catalyst to her own personal growth. She is conscientious and intense, as well. Probably no one takes child-raising more seriously than the INFJ. She approaches it as a profession requiring her best self.

Stay-sane tip: Make time for yourself, try to live in the moment, and take life a little less seriously. Instead of trying to make life what it "should be," enjoy it for what it is.

Ah. So true, so true.

Also, from The Personality Page:

INFJs usually make warm and caring parents. Their goal is to help their children become adults who know the difference between right and wrong, and who are independent, growth-oriented individuals.

Along the path to that goal they are generally very warm and caring, and are likely to treat their children as individuals who have a voice in family decisions. They want their children to be able to think for themselves, and make the right decisions. They also can be quite demanding on their children, and may have very high expectations for their behavior. Although they are generally soft-spoken and gentle, they may become stubborn and sharp-tongued at times when their expectations aren't met, or when under a lot of stress. [*Ahem.*]

INFJs take their parenting role with ultimate seriousness. They will make sacrifices for the sake of their children without a second thought, and without remorse. Passing on their values to their children is a serious priority in their lives. Children of INFJs remember their parents fondly as warm, patient, and inspirational. 

And that’s a pretty good note on which to end.