Linda Goodman's Sun Signs (40 page)

I don't like to play the role of the mean old witch at the royal christening, but would you mind checking to see if he has a dimple in his chin? Most Libran babies do. You found it? Well, just for fun, you might turn to the last page of your baby record book and write a line Grandma was fond of quoting. “Dimple in chin—Devil within.” (Grandma may have secretly studied astrology.) There will come a time in the future when you'll glance at that line and silently pay tribute to her wisdom.

It may be some morning when he's sitting at the table, slowly stirring his spoon in first one dish, then another. The dish on the right contains his poached egg, all nicely mashed the way he likes it. The dish on the left contains his oatmeal, all nicely covered with brown sugar, the way he likes it. Both are getting ice cold, and he hasn't taken a bite. Isn't he hungry? Yes, he's starved. Does he have a fever? No, he feels fine. Is he angry about something? No, not at all.
Then why does he sit there so stubbornly and keep pushing his spoon around like that? Why won't he take a bite of something?

He can't decide which to eat first—the eggs or the cereal. You just compounded the confusion by giving him a glass of orange juice and a piece of toast to try to tempt him. That was a mistake. Now he'll never be able to make up his mind. Better just forget breakfast today. Tomorrow morning, give him one thing at a time. First, the orange juice. He drinks it. Then the cereal. He eats it. Next the eggs. He loves them. Finally, the toast. As he sits there chewing happily, you'll be amazed that he ate all his breakfast in less than ten minutes. You have just learned the most important lesson in raising a Libra child. Never give him a choice. He hates to make a decision.

If there's anything a Libran child hates worse than making up his mind, it's having to make up his mind in a hurry. Don't rush him. Let's say he's learned to dress himself and in the excitement of such an adventure, over a period of weeks, he forgot his typical indecision. Now getting dressed is kind of old hat to him. You give him a start by helping him into his training pants. You lay out his pants, shirt, shoes and socks. He sits there. “Get dressed, Anthony.” He sits there. “Hurry up and get dressed, Anthony!”

The next thing you know, you'll be telling people your Libra child is stubborn. That's not fair. A Taurus child is stubborn. Not a Libra child. You are trying to rush him into deciding quickly which sock goes on which foot first. The whole thing is difficult enough, but just when he had made up his mind to put the left sock on the right foot, you shouted at him, disturbed his equilibrium, and now he's back where he was in the beginning. Which sock first? You see, it's your fault, not his. How does anyone expect him to make such a momentous decision if people are always shouting and hollering and yelling at him? It hurts his ear drums, and besides, it makes him forget what he was about ready to decide.

It's the kind of thing that can make you a little trembly, especially if you're the nervous type, and you're not the only one. Someday there will be a wonderful woman he's in love with. They will be discussing marriage. When and if. He'll sit there. Should he? Or shouldn't he? the girlfriend waits patiently. He'll have the same pained expression on his pleasant features he has right now. Finally, “Anthony, are we going to get married?” He sits there. Then: “Anthony, when are we going to get married?” Poor girl. That's the same mistake you made with the orange juice and toast. Now he has two things to decide. Not only should they get married, but when. You'll have to have a talk with her.

But that's quite a few years off. Today it's the shoes and socks. Walk over to him firmly and say, “Anthony, let's put this sock on this foot first.” Say it in gentle tones. Don't scream or be shrill. If you can, put the words to music and sing it to him. He'll love that. Now, you have removed two obstacles. You helped him decide, and you created a pleasant atmosphere. In five minutes, he's dressed. That's what the girlfriend will have to do someday. She'll have to sing to him softly, “We're-getting-wed-on-June 26th” (to the tune of
“Here Comes the Bride”).
If she's the shy type, you may have to wait a long time to become a grandparent. The happy ending to the story is this: If you train him to make up his mind, without pushing, shoving or trying to rush him, you will profit, too. By then, he will have mastered his indecision.

Libra children whose parents have confused their delicate balance by constantly insisting that they decide things too fast often grow up with quite a neurosis about choices. Suggest a solution to him gently, over and over again. Eventually, he'll pick up the knack and you'll have helped him overcome one of his greatest difficulties. Show him how it's done. That's all. He may appear to be stubborn, but he's just reacting in typical Libran fashion to discordant interruption and the emotional trauma of being rushed through his careful moment of decision. He'd like to please you, he really would, but he can be efficient only when there's harmony of sound, color and thought in his world. Tension makes it hang crooked, like a lopsided picture. When hasty grownups force a young personality into the wrong mold, it may harden into an odd shape.

It may help you feel less frustrated to know about my friend, a dental technician whose wife presented him with
two
Libra children, three years apart, both girls. You can just imagine what went on in that house every morning! Four shoes—four socks—four feet—and two confused small minds. Until the parents discovered astrology, those little Libra girls went barefoot nearly every day.

It will also help if you remember the reason behind your child's hesitancy. Libra boys and girls are born with minds that seek the truth. They're kind-hearted, and they want to be fair. Your youngster dreads making a mistake or misjudging something. He hates to hurt your feelings, but his nature forces him to seek that balanced answer before he rushes pell mell into things, including socks. Still, that Libra caution builds character and it's great for avoiding accidents and keeping out of trouble, both now and in the future. Think positive. The little Libran may take so long deciding whether or not to draw a blue turkey on your living room wall, you'll catch him before the damage is done.

If your Libra youngster is being falsely accused of stubbornness, it may be that you keep the volume too high on the radio or TV. Perhaps the colors in his bedroom lie behind his restlessness at night. Garish, clashing tones will keep his emotional scales dipping back and forth. All shades of blue and pastels will quiet him, and it really works, too. Play music—but softly—when you want him to eat, get dressed or pick up his toys. If the sounds and colors around the Libran child are discordant, his actions will match. Being forced to be a witness to any kind of violence can destroy something deep inside him forever. Even as an infant, he'll jerk or tremble if he hears a sudden noise. The Libra child needs peace, quiet and rest in large doses.

That brings us to another problem. Libra laziness. It isn't actually laziness at all. He plays hard, for long periods, then he must rest. He isn't loafing. He's just gathering himself together. The Libran pattern demands periods of activity—then inactivity. It's the only way he can manage to stay emotionally and physically healthy. If he's made to feel guilty about it, he'll really be lazy, in self-defense. When you see the Libran youngster being idle, don't fuss. He'll soon have his inner scales balanced again and be ready for action. He's just recharging his energy. His planets made him that way. He can't change it.

Venus children are experts at softening hard hearts. They have such charming manners, they wheedle so sweetly and who could resist those smiles and dimples? The little Libran's gentle, endearing ways can turn his parents into two large genies, who grant his every wish and desire (not to mention various assorted magic elves in the form of doting relatives). Consequently, these youngsters often start their school days so spoiled, they're well nigh impossible to handle. After all, you can't treat a tot like a prince or princess for years, and then expect him to take orders. Young Librans don't need discipline as much as they need less coddling.

The average Libra child, raised with the proper balance, is a delight to his teachers. Their minds are bright and logical, they're fond of debate and they have a great curiosity that makes them good students. However, once they start to read and learn facts, both you and the teachers may be subjected to constant arguments.

It never works to make a flat statement to a Libra boy or girl. Always give both sides of any issue, or they'll think you're being unjust. When you give the edge to one side, the Libra student will make a big issue out of defending the other side until he forces you to be fair. If you're partial to the pros, the young Librans will always make a good case for the cons, which can give them a reputation for being rebels, when nothing could be further from the truth. These children will be sticklers for obeying the rules, as long as they've convinced themselves the rules aren't loopy. The scales must always balance, or Libra feels an unpleasant tug. He'll argue away until he feels things have been faced squarely, and the scales of justice are harmoniously lined up. October-born boys and girls always sharpen the wits of their parents and instructors, because it takes some good, logical thinking to keep up with them. They'll argue with you about everything from the newspaper headlines to who's right or wrong in a family disagreement. The Libra child won't like to hear grownups gossip. To him a confidence is sacred, and he also frowns on hasty judgments of character. He'll take the side of your worst enemy, if he thinks you are wrong.

Never invade his privacy. He won't invade yours. Be sure mealtimes are pleasant. The girls will coax you to use candles and flowers; the boys will want a balanced meal and will probably love sweets. There may be some problems with overweight and the bathroom scales will get a workout.

One blessing about having Libra children is that, if they haven't retreated into resentment through harsh handling, they'll usually be neat and clean without being forced. Most of these boys and girls hate messes and an untidy house so much they'll help to keep it neat. Since Libra is both musical and artistic, you may have a budding composer or artist in the family, so make sure he has an opportunity to develop any latent talents.

The tiny Libra girl may dust your expensive powder all over her dress, pour your best perfume over her curly head, and hate to get out of the bathtub. She's just reacting to Libra's love of beauty and pleasant things, like scents and warm water. When she's a teenager, she'll monopolize the bathroom for hours with her bubble baths and use up all your guest soap. Remember, she seeks harmony; and to her, peace, beauty and comfort equal harmony.

The Libra boy may drive you to distraction with his snoozes in the hammock, and his irritating way of always knowing more than you do about subjects that should be over his heads. (Yes, sometimes you'll swear he has two.) But those periodic naps are refreshing his energy. It didn't die, it's just replenishing itself. As for his know-it-all attitude, he may be practicing on you for a future career as a lawyer. Take an optimistic view. The jury will someday be his captive audience, but you can always go start dinner or hide behind the evening paper. Encourage both boys and girls to write if they feel an urge. Remember that Libra rules books, too.

The teenagers of both sexes will keep a constant cloud of romance hanging over the house. There may be so many cases of puppy love, you'll feel as though you live in a sentimental kennel—but even this shall pass away. Those wedding bells will ring someday, and your Libra offspring will raise a nice, peaceful, balanced, harmonious, argumentative family. Some sunny October morning you may once again stand in front of a hospital nursery, and hear a nurse or visitor coo, “My, what a beautiful baby! So dear and good. So quiet and sweet.” And you'll say, with all your hard earned wisdom, “Yes, but do you see that dimple in his chin?”

If you're a woman, you probably think your Libra boss is one swell lady, always fair and square, always on the level. If you're a man, you may be a little bit in love with her, whether you realize it or not. Venus vibrations are powerful.

The Libra executive is normally one half of a partnership since her unconscious desire is always to bring two things or two people together. Emotionally, the urge is consummated through an early marriage or a shockingly early love affair. In business, she satisfies her balancing function by combining her charm and intellect with a partner who complements her own personality, and supplies whatever talents and abilities she lacks. (She won't lack many.)

She may not sit behind a desk as often as other bosses. That's because she likes to sit on the fence. It's not that she finds it more comfortable. It can be quite painful. Notice her unhappy expression while she's seated there. It's a struggle, as she takes two opposing ideas and weighs them, back and forth. Once she's achieved a fair and impartial decision, she'll be back at her desk, happily swirling in his contour chair again. But while she's on the fence she can be mighty hard to fathom.

The Libra boss is extremely restless and full of outgoing activity, yet she never seems to be in a hurry, a contradiction few people can manage. It's like watching a skillful juggler. With all that restless activity, you expect her to drop her poise and break into a nervous run at any moment, just as you expect the juggler to drop one of the balls he's tossing. But neither does. Born with a natural affinity for the element of air, the Libran accomplishes even frenzied action with so much easy grace, this sign almost seems to be standing still. It's like a movie in slow motion. The activity never stops, but the projector is set at a peculiar speed.