Summary of Mary Sheedy Kurcinka's Raising Your Spirited Child

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The word that distinguishes spirited children from other children is more. They are normal children who are more intense, persistent, sensitive, and uncomfortable with change than other children. It’s difficult to describe what it’s like to be the parent of a spirited child, but it’s worth it.

#2 Your intuition has been fighting the stares and the indictments brought against you since your child was born, knowing that this child is tougher to parent. But you don’t know if you’re right, and you don’t know why.

#3 When we choose to see our children as spirited, we give them and themselves hope. It pulls our focus to their strengths rather than their weaknesses, which is not a negative label but a tool for understanding.

#4 While each spirited child is unique, there are some common characteristics that they all possess. They are intense, persistent, sensitive, and uncomfortable with change.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822508941

IRB Media

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Insights on Mary Sheedy Kurcinka's Raising Your Spirited Child

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The word that distinguishes spirited children from other children is more. They are normal children who are more intense, persistent, sensitive, and uncomfortable with change than other children. It’s difficult to describe what it’s like to be the parent of a spirited child, but it’s worth it.

#2

Your intuition has been fighting the stares and the indictments brought against you since your child was born, knowing that this child is tougher to parent. But you don’t know if you’re right, and you don’t know why.

#3

When we choose to see our children as spirited, we give them and themselves hope. It pulls our focus to their strengths rather than their weaknesses, which is not a negative label but a tool for understanding.

#4

While each spirited child is unique, there are some common characteristics that they all possess. They are intense, persistent, sensitive, and uncomfortable with change.

#5

The seven characteristics of a spirited child are energy, first reaction, mood, resistance to new situations and things, and sharing few rewarding smiles. Not all children with these characteristics are climbers and leapers, but they do tend to be busy.

#6

The author’s credo for living with and raising spirited children is to understand, predict their triggers, and avoid the blowups. It takes understanding, skill, and patience to manage spirit well, but it is possible.

#7

There are millions of parents who understand the challenges you face with your spirited child. Your child is not an oddity or a freak. You are not the world’s worst parent. You have permission to take care of yourself, and you may celebrate and enjoy the delights of your child.

#8

I have learned to focus on the strengths of spirited children, and I am surrounded by them grown up. I have realized that adults I admire and enjoy are intense, dramatic people. They are more than normal, they are spirited.

#9

Spirit, like all human traits, falls within the normal range of behavior. However, a child who is extremely spirited may also have a medical condition. If you are concerned about your child’s behavior, consult a pediatrician, local early childhood screening organization, or other professionals working with children.

#10

I like to collect labels. I study the label on a can of soup, which is bright and cheery. It tells me that the soup is Chicken Alphabet with vegetables Soup. The label also tells me the ingredients and a stamp verifies that the U. S. government has inspected it.

#11

The Pygmalion effect is when children learn who they are from others in their lives. We must be honest with ourselves and our children about the labels we give them, and how they affect us and them.

#12

The start of a spirited-child class is a rowdy event with fourteen parents and eighteen kids all arriving at the same time. The families spend the first minutes together and then separate. The children continue in their program while the parents move to a discussion group.

#13

When we hear the words my child is - descriptions of something inside - we are not enticed or filled with desire. We pull away, as though punched.

#14

Changing your child’s negative labels can have a huge impact on their behavior. By changing your vocabulary, you can change how others perceive your child, which will benefit them and you.

#15

Take a piece of paper and on the left side of your sheet, write down all the words that you can think of that describe the crazy, obnoxious things your spirited child does. Be certain to include the worst ones. Now take a deep breath, relax your shoulders, and look at some of your favorite photographs of your child.

#16