The Virgo Child

* Despite being precociously clever and accomplished, Virgo children are also surprisingly humble. A combination of strong intellect and down to earth know-how gives these youngsters the ability to effortlessly master a wide variety of practical skills. Yet rarely will they take the initiative to let others know just how smart they are. Because their ego needs are more modest than those of other children, they don’t require constant validation and they’re not looking for a lot of recognition or applause.

* But that’s not to say that a Virgo child doesn’t suffer from a great deal of self-doubt. Their inborn perfectionism always gives them the feeling that however hard they work at something, it’s never quite good enough. Because they’re their own toughest taskmaster, they don’t need you telling them when they’ve made a mistake, which only exacerbates their feeling of inadequacy. Rather than rebuke your young Virgo for their failures, focus instead on congratulating them on their successes (of which they will have many). Okay, so they may not be very appreciative of your praise, but they badly need it to balance their fiercely self-critical side.

* A Virgo child’s self-esteem is closely bound up with how good a little worker they are. During their school and college years, achieving high grades will matter more to them than to most other youngsters. Later in life they’ll apply themselves with the utmost diligence to fulfilling their professional duties, more out of the pride they get from doing a job well than for material gain. As the parent of a Virgo child, you should start boosting their self-esteem from their earliest years by thanking them whenever they have assisted you in some useful way. At a deep level, Virgos see their key purpose in life as one of practical service and helpfulness, and by affirming this you let them know they’re on the right track.

* It’s a plain fact that Virgo children tend to be extremely picky – due in part to their keen eye for detail and in part to their desire for the highest possible standards in all things in their life. They’ll be deeply uncomfortable with a dirty or disorderly home environment, an unwholesome diet, or in the company of coarse, ill mannered people. There’s a surprising refinement about little Virgos which belies their young years.

* A Virgo child’s discriminating nature also applies to their relationships, and since they set the bar exceptionally high for potential friends (and later in their romantic life partners) they run the risk of becoming loners. It’s important to teach them to be more tolerant of others’ weaknesses and to understand that it’s one thing to be self-critical, but by also being openly critical of others they’re likely to make themselves very unpopular!