As parents, most people with the ENTJ personality type (Commanders) are highly adept at spotting their children’s latent talents and nurturing these strengths. But they must, at times, temper their strong-willed, hyper-logical approach to life in order to make room for their children’s needs and feelings as they help them grow. This is simply to say that their relationships with children, who are typically more sensitive and less able to conduct truly rational analysis, require much more emotional tact and personal liberty than ENTJs are accustomed to giving.

But these resolute personalities are always up for a challenge. ENTJs take their roles as parents seriously and approach the task with the utmost sense of personal responsibility. Holding themselves to a higher standard than most, ENTJ parents see the success of their children as a reflection of those personal standards. They want nothing more than to see their kids grow into smart, independent people who strive to achieve their goals. Establishing specific moral values is less important to them than the cultivation of intellect and independent, rational thought.

Building Emotional Tolerance

ENTJ personalities welcome differences of opinion, and this is true with their children as well. But even though they will gladly have rational, well-thought-out discussions, at the end of the day, people with this personality type expect their authority to be respected. A disagreement is no excuse for shirking established responsibilities. ENTJ parents can be uncompromising in maintaining both structure and discipline. From time to time, this strictness can be a source of tension in the household. It would benefit these parents to remember that a little flexibility can go a long way.

That said, where ENTJ parents really run into trouble is when debates with their kids devolve into emotional appeals. Their weakness with emotional tolerance makes dealing with growing children a significant challenge. These personalities should strive to strengthen this skill, as young children don’t have the words to express their needs rationally, and adolescents often don’t have the patience for it.

Fostering Independence

These parents can strive to remember that a part of developing that necessary sense of independence is being able to chart one’s own destiny. Mature ENTJ personalities are able to take a deep breath and adapt their structures as their children grow. This often helps their children move beyond assigned activities and into the longer goal of becoming capable and intelligent young adults who can direct themselves.