17 September 2008

Cool, Spunky or Spirited Kids?

Today was one of those mornings. Princess was tired and didn't want to go to kindy; everything she tried to do got her frustrated and upset. Little things set her off and the volume got louder and louder - the SAS have never faced that kind of audio torture! I can only compare it to an air raid siren right in your ear. There's no getting away from it.

I tried everything to help her calm down, but in the middle of the morning rush (made easier with the help of my "Get Ready" CD of course) it was all I could do to get her out the door on time.

Talk about spirited! Intense! Persistent!! In the car, Dash tried to help; he said, "I know what... Something that will help you is try taking deep breaths...!" There was silence for about a minute as we all breathed deeply. Then she remembered she was on her way to kindy and the siren started up again!

Compare this to last night's magical moments: we had a cuddle on the couch before she went to bed; we talked about what her name means and how the lady in the Bible she is named for was a wise and beautiful princess. When I tucked her in bed she kissed me repeatedly on the cheek and as I exited her room she was still blowing me kisses.

A child of extreme constrasts is our Princess. Wonderful or... well, painful!

I would have gone out of my mind trying to fathom her if I hadn't read that book, "Raising Your Spirited Child" by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. (To read my earlier post explaining it, click here).

Even if your child is not "Spirited" as such, the explanations the author gives really help to understand different aspects of your kids' personalities. For instance, Dash is a not spirited, but still scores very high in Intensity, Perceptiveness and Sensitivity. Those are areas I need to be aware of with him, and have had to work better at managing.

I have posted the Test on my website, as well as further explanations of the nine aspects of temperament: Intensity, Persistence, Sensitivity, Perceptiveness, Adaptability, Regularity, Energy, First Reaction and Mood.

This is condensed from the chapter "What Makes Kids Spirited"... you can work out whether your family is populated by Spirited, Spunky or Cool kids, or a combination of all three!
TO READ MORE AND TAKE THE TEST click here.


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, there! I am so glad you are writing about kids with spirited temperaments! I, too, have a rather spirited, persistent, intense and energetic child. She is a delight AND she keeps me on my toes! I think using the temperamental traits to predict and prepare is soooo helpful.
Happy Fall!
Karen

Simoney said...

Karen I have ust checked out your page; it's cool! I will post a link to you in my sidebar! thanks for the feedback :)

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