THE WATER-SIGN PARENT AND FIRE-SIGN CHILD

The differences between these two most often revolve around the parent's protectiveness and desire to keep the child close versus the child's thrust for independence and free exploration of the world. This child's sense of adventure is apt to propel him or her into many activities and involvements outside the safety of home and the parent's sphere of control, at an earlier age than would suit the water-sign parent. Learning to let go and allow the fiery youngster to stand on his or her own is a major issue here, for this child can feel very stifled by the parent's concerns and fears for him or her.

However, for all their desire for freedom of movement and self-expression, fire-signs often don't really want to grow up and deal with mundane realities and responsibilities, and they are likely to return home to "refuel" where their idealistic plans or wild schemes and adventures go awry. If the water-sign parent's natural inclination to take care of their child's needs and to "help" when things go wrong isn't held in check, an unhealthy dynamic may be set up whereby the child never learns self-responsibility because mom or dad is always there to step in when they are about to experience the consequences of their actions. So, the water-sign parent may have to do what is very difficult for him or her to do: Watch the child make some painful mistakes and learn thereby—without interfering!

Another difference between these two is the water-sign parent's emotional sensitivity and easily-bruised feelings versus the rather brash, somewhat egocentric and not-so-tactful ways of the fire-sign child. Overall, the relationship here is apt to be somewhat emotional and, at times, volatile, as neither person is really very objective or rational, and they experience the world in very different ways.