4 Ways
My Spirited Child Made Me a Better Mom By Cheryl Maguire
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hile reading an article on the Internet, I discovered the book Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. I wish I knew about it eleven years ago when my spirited daughter was born. I learned a lot of the techniques of how to parent a spirited child by trial and error. I never knew there was a positive classification for her personality. According to the book a spirited child is defined as, “a child who is more intense, persistent, sensitive and perceptive than the average child”. Kurchinka coined the term spirited when she was looking for information regarding her son, she only came across words like difficult, strong-willed or stubborn. She felt framing the description of her child using a positive word, such as spirited, would help her to focus on her child’s strengths. When I was in graduate school earning a degree in counseling psychology, I remember a professor saying to me, “You will learn the most from the challenging cases.” This comment has stayed with me throughout the years. After reading this book I couldn’t help but think of how I became both a better parent and a better person from knowing my daughter.
Determination In the book, Kurchinka states spirited children are persistent. She points out this is can be considered a positive characteristic and gave examples of people such as Martin Luther King or the Wright brothers who were persistent. However, it can also lead to power struggles with your child. The key is to use positive words like committed, decisive or I prefer the word determined. My daughter is the most determined person I have ever met. She learned how to ride a bicycle in three days, at Continued >>> Special Needs Guide | BostonParentsPaper.com
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