If you've read very much on my blog you've seen references to Four's personality. He is MORE of everything you can think of. While he's been gone on vacay with The Punk, I pulled out Raising Your Spirited Child and Kids, Parents, and Power Struggles both by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. My copy of the first book is 14 years old, and worn. Well loved. It got me through so much when my girls were small. They were both VERY spirited kids (and now they are spirited teens + hormones...yeah, I'm so lucky.) Spirited in different ways, but both very spirited. When I think about Three, he is the only one of them who doesn't seem "spirited" to me. After reading through the book again, he is spunky in a couple areas but overall, he's the easiest one of the lot.
Parenting Four is hard. I don't want to surpress his spirit, because I love him so! With all his intensity, and his distractability, and his sensitivity, and his persistence...he's a lot of fun. But it is also exhausting. It's been so interesting to see how much I've been doing while they've been on vacation, and yet I am WAY less exhausted at the end of the day. Physical labor is far less draining than dealing with Four all day. True story.
If you are looking for good parenting advice when your kid is "more," Kurcinka is my recommendation. She will alter your perception of your kids personality. That is exactly what I needed as I find myself referring to my child as "wild" and "difficult" and I don't want to. I need to revamp my thinking.
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