THE EARTH-SIGN PARENT AND FIRE-SIGN CHILD

The earth-sign parent has much to offer the fire-sign youngster: a grounding influence, a steadying hand, and a base of security to return to after this child's many adventurous excursions into the world. However, there are fundamental differences between these two, which must be understood and accepted for a true harmony to exist between this parent-child pair.

The earth-sign parent's essential practicality, realism, work ethic, and focus on security contrasts with the fire-sign child's essential idealism, dreams of grandeur and possibilities, and need to take risks. Many of this youngster's desires and aspirations may seem foolish, starry-eyed, or completely impractical to the sensible earthy parent. The earth-signs are far more circumspect and need a solid, workable plan to follow, whereas fire-signs follow their intuition, their impulses, and their passions. The earth-signs are innately pragmatic, and much more patient, than fire-signs are.

In relationship to the fire-sign child, the earthy parent is inclined to be almost constantly putting on the brakes, counseling caution, and generally being a stick-in-the-mud (at least to the child's way of seeing things). For these two to have a positive relationship it is important for the earthy parent not to discourage, cast doubt, or subtly denigrate the fiery youngster's enthusiasms.

Fire-signs usually come down to earth eventually, but they need to learn in their own way and time, and will resent too much controlling behavior on their parent's part. Also, like the water-sign parent, earth-sign parents should beware of "bailing out" their fire-sign children too often. Let them express themselves as freely as possible (within reason), and let them learn from their own mistakes.