Raising your spirited child

Often reading through parenting books is like shopping for a used car. There are a lot of books with scant ideas pretending they're worth the 300 pages they're printed on, like slimy salesmen trying to pawn off piles of junk at full price. The ratio of help to filler can be aggravating. So imagine my surprise when I found this parenting book: one that not only earned its pages in good ideas but exceeded my expectations. If you have a spirited child this is the book to read.

My wife and I didn't realize just how spirited our first born was until we had a second child. I mean we had a small idea but when you only have one child it's hard to distinguish between baby-in-general and this-specific-baby. Well with a little context we gathered this-specific-baby is extremely spirited and a lot of the parenting skills we had to develop were not the same ones our friends with kids were dealing with. It wasn't only a matter of his being an extrovert, but an extrovert who feels feelings more intensely and has extra energy needs, therefore extra energy management needs. How wonderful for his two introverted parents, though he gets his spirited nature from me.

This book is full of useful (actionable) ideas to help with everything from solving tantrums over getting dressed in the morning to bolstering strengths with language that won't crush your little one's spirit. For categories where we seemed to be doing okay (food) it was confidence building to see how our overarching framework was on the right track so we can stick to the main theories when something new inevitably comes up.

From small but crucial tips (having them dress themselves in front of a mirror) to large conceptual charges (transitions can't come out of nowhere, even small ones) this book delivers.

If you or anyone you know has a spirited child I highly recommend this book. It's a game changer.