Raising a Spirited Child

Brandy Glasgow

EDFB 4377

Book Review

November 15, 2005

Raising Your Spirited Child a guide for parents whose child is more intense, sensitive, perceptive, persistent, energetic is a wonderful book to help you appreciate a child's intensity, persistence and sensitivity. The book teaches parents to understand and appreciate their children. The book shows parents how to turn labeling in positive language to describe their child. Mary Sheedy Kurcinka's redefines the "difficult child" as a spirited child. She helps adults understand their own temperament as well as a child's. When you understand your own temperament and children's temperaments you can be a better teacher and parent. She shows parents how to handle tantrums and how to deal with their own emotions that go along with it. . It also provides some strategies for working with a spirited child, and preparing for smoother transitions. She gives parents advice on how to talk to teachers and how to deal with problems that arise at school.

The book was very positive and she gave very good descriptions of children and how to handle things. I do not think all children should be treated the same. Every child has a unique personality and different needs. I think the book will be helpful in my classroom to help me understand how I can change my actions to help a child learn in my classroom. However, I think the role of an educator and a parent are two different things. I think that Mary Sheedy Kurcinka is too idealistic when it comes to parenting. She expects parents to give in to their children and change their schedules to suit their children. I am not a parent so my opinions may change but I do not think I would be as lenient as some of her examples are. The children she describes do not have mental handicaps and therefore are capable of acting in a respectful and mindful way.