Spirited Shiloh?

So, today, I was reading Always and Forever Family, and I came across this excerpt from the book Raising Your Spirited Child. I read over the broad characteristics of a "spirited child," and went to amazon.com and bought the book immediately. (note that in the above picture, i caught her jumping around on the furniture, so she's in mid-air, signing 'i love you' at me).

1. 
   

1. Intensity:
   The loud, dramatic spirited children are the easiest to spot. The don't cry, they shriek. They're noisy when they play.
   But quiet, intently observant children may also be spirited. They assess each situation before entering it as though developing a strategy for every move; their intensity is focused inward rather than outward.
2. Persistence:
   If an idea or an activity is important to them, spirited children can "lock" right in. Getting them to change their minds is a major undertaking. They love to debate and are not afraid to assert themselves.
3. Sensitivity:
   Quickly respond to the slightest noises, smells, lights, textures, or changes in mood. They are easily overwhelmed in crowds by the barrage of sensations.
   Every sensation and emotion is absorbed by them, including your feelings. They'll tell you that you are having a rotten day before you realize it yourself and even scream and sulk for you.
4. Perceptiveness:
   Send them to their room to get dressed and they'll never make it. Something along the way will catch their attention as they walk by and they'll forget about getting dressed. They notice everything - the latest oil spill, the white feather in the bird's nest, and the dew in the spiderweb. They're often accused of not listening.
5. Adaptability:
   Spirited children are uncomfortable with change. They hate surprises and do not shift easily from one activity or idea to another.

These are the common characteristics of spirited children but there are another 4 characteristics that are "bonus" characteristics.

1. Regularity:
   Figuring out when they will sleep or eat is a daily puzzle for parents of spirited kids who are irregular. It seems impossible to get them on to any kind of schedule. An eight-hour night of undisturbed sleep is a mere memory lingering in your mind from the days before their birth.
2. Energy:
   Not all spirited kids are climbers and leapers. But they do tend to be busy - taking things apart, exploring, and creating projects - from the time they wake up until they finally fall asleep.
3. First Reaction:
   A quick withdrawal from anything new is typical of many spirited kids. Any unfamiliar idea, thing, place, or person may be met with a vehement no. They need time to warm up before they're ready to participate.
4. Mood:
   The world is a serious place for some spirited kids. They're analytical, picking apart experiences, finding the flaws, and making suggestions for change. Their smiles are few and far between and they may be prone to whining.

The "Bonus" characteristics are not common to all spirited kids, but if your child possesses any of them you will need to be even more enterprising. You're not only living with a child who is more, but you're also faced with the exhaustion of life with a kid who is energetic, needs little sleep, expresses a strong resistance to new situations and things, and shares fewer rewarding smiles.

Really, Shiloh is an incredibly happy child and smiles a lot. I get a LOT of rewarding smiles, so I don't think that really applies. But every other characteristic, though, describes my little girl. I know that I, myself, was a spirited child and that Shiloh has my exact personality with her dad's spazoid-ness thrown in. And while it certainly doesn't make me love her any differently or less, for goodness sake, I truly believe that spirited children are more difficult to parent that their counterparts.

I'm excited to read this book.

In other news, Rick is en route to Nashville, TN right now for another week of training. He'll be gone til Saturday afternoon, be home that night and leave Sunday afternoon for CA for yet another week of training. I'm so glad that he's learning more about what he loves, but i'm also looking forward to when he's done and we can finally settle in for the school year.

Anyhoo, here's another look at my spirited child:


love.her. and those smiles really are the best. :o)