Raising Your Spirited Child

Raising Your Spirited Child
Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
3 ½ stars
When my first son was born he was very colicky for a solid year. After many doctor visits –and different doctors, we concluded that he just has a strong personality, which can be a great thing if channeled in the right direction. I found myself reading many different parenting books and loved this one.

I love that she points out that these different types of children are “spirited” not “challenging” or “difficult.” She offers many suggestions and has simple parenting plans. In the third chapter she offers a test where you can rank your child on some simple scales to understand their temperament. It was very insightful to use and helped me better understand my sons temperment. On the flip side, I didn’t like some of the suggestions that she pointed out in the second half of the book. A lot of them worked around the child, which are great, but I also believe that the parent can’t always be the one that has to bent, temperament or not.

She also offers a workbook that goes side by side with this book. I haven’t purchased it, but have looked at it. If you are interested in this book, you might check out the workbook as well.