A Time to Celebrate
Around the world, Mother’s Day exists in some form in many countries. It’s a time to celebrate our mothers or the mother figures in our lives. John Steinbeck wrote in East of Eden, “Perhaps it takes courage to raise children.” And in that spirit, we honor the brave women who raised us.
Many articles on Mother’s Day are designed to share ideas about the gifts that we might give to moms on their special day. Why not? They deserve all the nice gifts they can get.
We’re going to turn it around. We’re going to look at the gifts that mothers are likely to give their children throughout their lifetime, based on their personality type.
If you don’t know your mother’s type, perhaps ask her to take our free personality test to find out. Or maybe you can make use of our Parent Type Guesser tool and discover your mom’s personality type yourself.
Either way, let’s have a look at the gifts that mothers and mother figures bring to our lives.
(Note: The quotes below are not necessarily from people of the corresponding personality type. We’ve chosen diverse individuals’ words to capture the spirit of the mothers that we’re discussing.)
Analyst Personality Types
Architect (INTJ): The Gift of Responsible Independence
“The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.”
Architect moms value independence and a rigorous focus on what makes sense. That doesn’t mean that they can’t indulge in fantasies or make-believe with their children, but even then, there’s likely a rational point to it. From this personality type’s perspective, critical thinking is one of the biggest skills that a child can have.
Logician (INTP): The Gift of Discovery
“You can’t predict the outcome. You can’t raise a child and then tell them what to think.”
Since life tends to be a trail of experiments and discoveries for Logician mothers, they are likely to want to instill this mindset in their children to some degree. These mothers are likely to play games and initiate conversations that ask their children to imagine alternatives.
“What would it be like if children read bedtime stories to their parents until they fell asleep?”
Commander (ENTJ): The Gift of Effectiveness
“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.”
Discipline and effectiveness can sound like the ingredients for a cold nursery. It probably isn’t like that most of the time with Commander mothers. Instead, these qualities are loving gifts intended to help children navigate life more expertly, and Commander moms are capable of warming these gifts up before serving them.
Debater (ENTP): The Gift of Individualistic Thinking
“Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.”
Debater mothers come to their own conclusions and stand on their own intellectual two feet. Mothers with this personality type will likely want to nurture this in their offspring. They may, at times, answer their children’s questions with a question.
Diplomat Personality Types
Advocate (INFJ): The Gift of Compassion and Justice
“My mother said the cure for thinking too much about yourself was helping somebody who was worse off than you.”
Advocate mothers will feel proud if their children pick up on their strong sense of moral justice. Lessons about such things might come, at times, in heavy-handed ways. Still, more often than not, they are likely delivered in compassionate, kid-friendly ways using gentle reminders and interesting illustrations and stories from life.
Mediator (INFP): The Gift of Thoughtful Support
“I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, ‘Mother, what was war?’”
Mediator moms are likely to be constantly concerned that they are giving the right kind of support in helping their children realize their best selves. Their instincts tell these mothers that their children’s best selves are something that they have to find in their hearts, independently – but only with their mother staying close enough to ensure their safety.
Protagonist (ENFJ): The Gift of Life Lessons and Connection to Others
“The light is what guides you home, the warmth is what keeps you there.”
Protagonist moms are warm and dedicated. These affectionate mothers make a special effort to be there for their children when they have lessons to learn. Mothers with this personality type will model the power of connecting with others, and they’ll encourage their children to do the same.
Campaigner (ENFP): The Gift of Passionate Flexibility
“I don’t think anyone can grow unless he’s loved exactly as he is now, appreciated for what he is rather than what he will be.”
When the offspring of Campaigner mothers zig, their mothers generally zig with them, rather than zag. In other words, these personalities are willing to let their children be themselves while also keeping a caring eye on their progeny’s growing sense of self. Rules may be less important than experiences in these mothers’ parenting style.
Sentinel Personality Types
Logistician (ISTJ): The Gift of Duty
“All of us have moments in our lives that test our courage. Taking children into a house with a white carpet is one of them.”
Logistician mothers are going to make sure that there is a secure place in society for their offspring. They’ll highlight appropriateness, hard work, and duty in their parenting. And while their children’s lives might seem somewhat regimented, these moms are likely to want to parent correctly as well. Part of that can mean providing a warm and accepting environment with plenty of time to play.
Defender (ISFJ): The Gift of Protection and Sacrifice
“Evidence of good parenting: the child has no desire to be famous.”
Defender moms want to provide a structure that keeps their children safe and that meets all of their needs on a level that may seem intense to some. Mothers with this personality type can be worriers and may sacrifice a lot, maybe even excessively, for their children. There will be no doubt about these moms’ dedication to their kids.
Executive (ESTJ): The Gift of Practical Responsibility
“My goal is not to be liked, it’s to raise loving and responsible kids.”
Executive moms expect their children to take responsibility and to be disciplined in all aspects of their lives. But these mothers, with their practical outlook, also understand that perfection is impossible. This realistic view gives them a healthy portion of tolerance to balance with their demands.
Consul (ESFJ): The Gift of Obligations That Matter
“A mother’s arms are made of tenderness, and children sleep soundly in them.”
A balance between a sense of duty and the Feeling personality trait allows Consul moms to be loving and warm, yet traditional enough to raise responsible children. These mothers may be overprotective at times and maybe too willing to take the blame for their children’s flaws.
Explorer Personality Types
Virtuoso (ISTP): The Gift of Uniqueness
“Each child is a unique person, so raise your child taking this fact into consideration.”
Virtuoso mothers parent by giving their children the room that they need to become the person they’re going to be. They are likely to let their children run free with the lightest oversight – just enough to keep them safe. Moms with this personality type want their children to try everything that catches their interest.
Adventurer (ISFP): The Gift of Open-Mindedness
“To stimulate life, leaving it free, however, to unfold itself – that is the first duty of the educator.”
Adventurer mothers desire to pass their open-mindedness on to their children. They often dote on their children while allowing them to take reasonable risks to discover what they can about life. Even so, they may be conflicted when they project onto their offspring their ambivalence about taking such risks.
Entrepreneur (ESTP): The Gift of Playful Living
“Six-year-olds should play outside and ask questions, not sit on a chair and memorize answers.”
Entrepreneur mothers are likely to encourage many experiences and show a lot of enthusiasm around their children. They almost become playmates at times. These mothers may not be as warm as some other mothers, but they certainly bring engaging activities and fun to the table.
Entertainer (ESFP): The Gift of Exuberance
“One thing I had learned from watching chimpanzees with their infants is that having a child should be fun.”
Entertainer mothers are exuberant and fun, maybe making each of them a child’s dream mother. Moms with this personality type may not be the most fervent disciplinarians, but they are great at providing emotional support and being truly invested in their children.
Happy Mother’s Day
We honor every mother on Mother’s Day, regardless of what personality type you are.
Further Reading
- The Best Presents for Mother’s Day
- When Personality Types Are Relative
- Why Shouldn’t Children Take Our Personality Test?
- To Kid or Not to Kid: The Desire to Be a Parent by Personality Type
- Seeking more insights into your parenting style? Take our Parenting Styles test or check out our Premium Profile for your personality type.