Rejoicing in your Spirited Child

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Spirited Child – high energy, feisty and very active.  They are ready to climb into almost any situation, and exercise little impulse, control or caution when they do.  They are highly reactive.  They are often described as a handful. Always into something. I don’t have the energy to keep up with her. She’s fearless.  (The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems; Tracy Hogg)

When my expectations of having an angel baby (definition: Good as gold.  Don’t even know a baby is in the house. I could have five more children like him) came crashing down week one, I was forced to do some real soul-searching to determine how best to live day in and day out with my little {spirited} bundle of joy.  Let’s be honest – Who was I kidding?  Seriously. To think that I would create a child from my very womb who isn’t a spirited baby.  If truth be told – I’M a spirited adult!

With all that being said I wanted to share three tips I’ve found to be most useful in helping me REJOICE in my spirited baby…

1.  Plan Activites Outside of the Home. {at times when your child is at her/his best of course}

Because of Nora’s active nature it’s been important to embrace the idea of getting out of the house during her wake times.  Whether it’s going to Yogurtology or simply taking a walk on the Scottsdale Greenbelt, Nora and I love getting out of the house. But do keep in mind that overtiring or overstimulating a baby almost guarantees meltdowns.  Factor temperament and time of day when making these plans. 

2. Don’t be afraid to be a Spirited Mom 🙂

Let it rip girls.  Spirited children love passionate people.  I’ve never seen Nora smile as much as she does when I’m singing, dancing and being a total goof.  She just loves it!  The key to turning a spirited child’s temperment around is to turn up the fun meter in yourself and get your little one laughing. 

3. Remind yourself of his/her {great} future.

Honestly this has been the most important thing for me to understand while raising my spirited little Nora.  I think it’s hard for every mom to see the big picture in the day to day. We get so caught up in the diaper changes, errands, meltdowns, feedings and naptimes that we fail to see that this little person has a great lifetime ahead of him/her.  When I do take the time to consider this and the way Nora is wired,  I love to imagine what good she will do in her community and the world at large.  It’s simply my job to help my spirited little girl learn how to maturally channel all of that great energy 🙂

Nevertheless, I do believe that if we were honest with ourselves, we could all list a handful of spirited friends and family members who make our lives 10x more exciting, who fight for injustice and can celebrate like none other.  These are the explorers and entrepreneurs in our community who are fearless about plunging ahead where others have dared not go. These are our spirited children in 18+ years. 

What a joy that we get to sit on the sidelines and help assist these little one’s as they discover the up’s and down’s of life under our care!  Because after all….

When it comes to parenting, the days are long but the years are short.
–Dr. Tim Kimmel

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