Parenting can be hard work. It is even harder for parents of children who are energetic, have difficulty following directions, are highly persistent, intense, and slow to adapt to changes. If you have a child like this, you most likely have a Spirited Child.
The stress of dealing with frequent challenging behaviors affects the relationship you have with your child. In turn, it affects the relationship a spirited child has with other children and of you to your spouse. Your family continually adjusts and readjusts to these challenging behaviors.
It is critical that parents of spirited children understand what is happening with their child. Acceptance and affirmation is key. Because these children are challenging, it is easy to develop negative patterns of parenting when we react to behaviors with criticism and punishment.
Many times spirited children can be helped by changing parenting strategies. Other times may require intervention by trained medical and/or mental health professionals. Don't be afraid to seek professional help if your child's behaviors have a negative effect on the family or on your child's view of himself or herself.
It is also important to note that not all children who have some or all of these characteristics are spirited. Research all that you can, make sure your child has seen their pediatrician, trust your gut. It would be a disservice to your child to ignore a larger problem that could exist. Still, tools that work with spirited children can still be utilized even if other problems exist.
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