Raising Your Spirited Child

Rating:
Summary: Does your child seem intense, yet easily overloaded...
Review: This book is an absolute must for those of us with children who seem "not like other children." I thought I was crazy - going to friend's homes having the only kid who didn't want to play, but wanted to "sit and talk with the mommies." She was literally glued to me for the first 4 years of her life. Does your child seem too intense, too mature, and too alert for his or her age? You are not crazy, you just have an "active alert." This book helped me appreciate the zone that my little girl operates in, and I refer to it often when I feel overloaded.

Rating:
Summary: Does your child seem intense, yet easily overloaded...
Review: This book is an absolute must for those of us with children who seem "not like other children." I thought I was crazy - going to friend's homes having the only kid who didn't want to play, but wanted to "sit and talk with the mommies." She was literally glued to me for the first 4 years of her life. Does your child seem too intense, too mature, and too alert for his or her age? You are not crazy, you just have an "active alert." This book helped me appreciate the zone that my little girl operates in, and I refer to it often when I feel overloaded.

Rating:
Summary: A life-saver and a family saver!
Review: This book is well-written, humorous, and very helpful! It is the best resource I have found for parenting a "spirited" child. Mary Kurcinka has a great, positive way of seeing things and can offer alot of tips on how to deal with the challenges of raising a child who is, as she says, "more". This book offers a fresh look and a new, positive vocabulary to parents and caregivers. I gave a copy to each of my parents, and I feel it has greatly improved the way they deal with my daughter and how we all interact with each other. It's so nice to be able to feel positive about parenting, and not overwhelmed by all the challenges! It will really let you know you're NOT alone!

Rating:
Summary: definitely worth reading
Review: This book really helped me understand my child, and helped me stop feeling like a bad parent. I love that Kurcinka advocates for redefining "negative" attributes as something that can be positive, because it helps parents and others view their child more positively and work with them. The most valuable thing I took from this book was in learning about personality differences between parent and child, and how that can effect your relationship. I also like that each chapter "characteristic" has a summary which gives the reader specific tips working with a child with that characteristic, so the book is easy to reference later on.

If I had any complaint about this book, it would be that it encouraged me to think my daughter's "issues" were simply personality differences rather than something more, when she actually has mild autism. Parents should take this book to heart, but still seek additional information and help if they are concerned about their child.

Rating:
Summary: Spirited people are everywhere
Review: This is the absolutely best book on parenting the "difficult" child. It made me realize that the combination of persistence, intensity, sensitivity, and high energy can be actually advantageous if well-channeled. I wish that she would write a sequel on raising spirited teenagers.

Rating:
Summary: Spirited people are everywhere
Review: This is the absolutely best book on parenting the "difficult" child. It made me realize that the combination of persistence, intensity, sensitivity, and high energy can be actually advantageous if well-channeled. I wish that she would write a sequel on raising spirited teenagers.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: What a great help for those of us who often wonder why our child seems so "different". It provides great insight into the different temperaments and provides suggestions that acutally work.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Wonderfully fresh perspective on how to raise a child who's "more"...as a mother of a 2-year-old, the insight was much appreciated!