Rating: 
Summary: Breath of fresh air
Review: Finally, a book that doesn't lump my son into the ADHD, "difficult", or "explosive" categories that other books do. This book helps you understand why your child is doing what he is doing, and guides you into reacting appropriately, without some fictional, unrealistic example of a happy ending. The examples she gives are real--like she already knows your child and how he will react. She also helps you to remember the good qualities of your child, so you can remind yourself that you love him (which is easily lost amid tantrums and difficult days). I haven't even finished reading it, and I am already seeing positive results, both from me and my child--no major tantrums and no screaming reactions. The workbook is also helpful.
Rating:
Summary: Breath of fresh air
Review: Finally, a book that doesn't lump my son into the ADHD, "difficult", or "explosive" categories that other books do. This book helps you understand why your child is doing what he is doing, and guides you into reacting appropriately, without some fictional, unrealistic example of a happy ending. The examples she gives are real--like she already knows your child and how he will react. She also helps you to remember the good qualities of your child, so you can remind yourself that you love him (which is easily lost amid tantrums and difficult days). I haven't even finished reading it, and I am already seeing positive results, both from me and my child--no major tantrums and no screaming reactions. The workbook is also helpful.
Rating: 
Summary: More practical books out there
Review: I found the book 'Raising your Spirited Child' useful and helpful but did not find this work book very practical. It was mostly written in the setting of a class or workshop which made it ponderous to read. Although this was a very warm and personal approach it was just not very concise. I found there was too much emphasis on reasoning and adapting to the child instead of teaching the child to adapt. I realise that with spirited children a parent must be keenly aware of the childs limitations and that a little planning goes a long way in reducing stress. But I also think that a parent must be very careful not to go too far as to lower expectations and make the family child centered. You don't have to be your childs personal therapist in order to be a good parent.
This book does not cover the role of negative reinforcement which is so prevalent with spirited children who are misbehaving. Without this understanding we could not begin to address the issues affecting our own spirited child. For this I would strongly recommend any parent of a spirited child to read: "The Manipulative Child: How To Regain control and Raise Resilient, Resourceful, and Independent Kids".This book does offer hope and encouragement which I guess we all need when struggling day to day with a demanding child. Nothing prepares a parent for dealing with a spirited child and they put every parenting assumption and technique to the ultimate test. Although my wife and I did not find this work book helpful for our situation, it does add to the first book which we found very helpful.
For our spirited child, the books "Ain't Misbehavin" by William P Garvey, and "Setting Limits" by Robert J MacKenzie, helped us the most. By teaching our child self control, it allowed the positive spirited traits to overshadow the negative ones.
Rating:
Summary: My "bible" on parenting
Review: I have read the book twice and continue to reference it. This book has helped me understand my 7 year old son's behavior. I first read it when he was 4. My son is very intense, sensitive, perceptive, persistent, and energetic. He cannot handle any kind of change if he is not forewarned. He notices every little detail, will argue till he is blue in the face, and cannot sit while eating at the dinner table!!
Now we are able to prevent many "blowups" because of the clues this book has taught us to look for. I even realized that I am a spirited person as well and that is why he and I were clashing w/ a lot of things unlike he and his father. I cannot praise this book enough. I will constantly refer to it and I plan on giving his wife a copy when he gets married!! Thank you Mary Sheedy Kurcinka!!
Rating:
Summary: My "bible" on parenting
Review: I have read the book twice and continue to reference it. This book has helped me understand my 7 year old son's behavior. I first read it when he was 4. My son is very intense, sensitive, perceptive, persistent, and energetic. He cannot handle any kind of change if he is not forewarned. He notices every little detail, will argue till he is blue in the face, and cannot sit while eating at the dinner table!!
Now we are able to prevent many "blowups" because of the clues this book has taught us to look for. I even realized that I am a spirited person as well and that is why he and I were clashing w/ a lot of things unlike he and his father. I cannot praise this book enough. I will constantly refer to it and I plan on giving his wife a copy when he gets married!! Thank you Mary Sheedy Kurcinka!!
Rating:
Summary: Terrific Book!! Great insight into this behavior problem.
Review: I read this book and was glad to find someone that understood what I was going through. She hits the nail on the head! I have referred back to this book several times. The author describes each sensory problem so that you can learn to understand and deal with these kids. It's a great book to have on hand and refer back to.
Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK SAVED MY SANITY! EVERY PARENT SHOULD READ IT.
Review: I thought I was the only one with a child like this. Thanks to this book, my daughter learned to cope with life and I learned to enjoy her company. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Rating:
Summary: A Parenting Must Read!
Review: If you have a spirited child this book is a must read! The best part of this book is that she helps you figure out what specific situations trigger your child and the best ways to deal with (and avoid) those situations. She doesn't lump all spirited child together. I bought two parenting books when I purchased this one and I didn't even bother reading the second one. Awesome book - it saved my sanity and perhaps one spirited little 4 1/2 year old!
Rating:
Summary: A Parenting Must Read!
Review: If you have a spirited child this book is a must read! The best part of this book is that she helps you figure out what specific situations trigger your child and the best ways to deal with (and avoid) those situations. She doesn't lump all spirited child together. I bought two parenting books when I purchased this one and I didn't even bother reading the second one. Awesome book - it saved my sanity and perhaps one spirited little 4 1/2 year old!
Rating: 
Summary: Does your childs have ADHD?
Review: The author does not appear to have a real life understanding of ADHD. On page 35 she claims that "the difference between a perceptive spirited child and a child experiencing ADHD is that the spirited child will notice everything going on around her, but will be able to process it more quickly and ultimately be able to focus on and complete a task... A child EXPERIENCING ADHD (as if it is a condition that comes and goes) will not be able to process information quickly ...will be unable to figure out what is the most important information and will not be able to focus on and complete a task. In part I agree. Children with ADHD have a hard time selecting the most important facts to focus on. However, their brains process information so quickly that their brains have already moved on to another subject, questions, curiosity, etc. before their hand or mouth or body has caught up with it. When I read her viewpoints on ADHD I felt frustrated. It was very hard to take her advice to heart because she doesn't seem to have any real life experience with ADHD. Her books (I bought two of them) are currently sitting unused in my bookshelf.
My qualification to speak on this real life viewpoint... I am an ADHD adult with 4 children. Three of them have ADHD(2 w/hyperactivity and 1 w/inattentive). I currently homeschool them because the teachers could not meet their needs.
|
