Best Books for Helping a Parent Deal with a Spirited Child

Just as all adults are different so are kids. Some children are very quiet and listen to every word their parents say without ever questioning it and yet there are some kids who like to test the waters, otherwise known as "spirited children". Dealing with kids like this can be very difficult and sometimes parents just are not sure where to turn. Here is a look at three books to help parents deal with spirited children. Having read them myself, I can honestly say they have worked wonders in regards to my own kids.

My first choice of books is called The Explosive Child written by Ross W. Greene. I bought this book at a point in my life where I just did not know what else to do when it came to deciding which way I should go when it came to how to discipline my child. This book helps parents understand how to understand their children and how to deal with them in an effective manner when "no" or "because I said so" just does not cut it. I would recommend this book to any parent who has a child who is very prone to temper tantrums and any parent who feels as though they just do not have any more answers. After reading it and practicing the methods discussed in this book it has brought peace back into my home and most importantly into my child.

Raising Your Spirited Child is my second choice of books to help deal difficult children. This book written by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka is excellent for parents who might be feeling worn out or even negative about their child's difficult behavior. It helps the parents to look at the positive aspects of their child's spirited personality and has excellent pointers to help them deal with power struggles and it introduces a great four step program that has proven to be very successful for many parents. This book also helps parents develop strategies for occasions that normally cause the child's behavior to quickly escalate such as holidays or even as simple as bedtime.

Lastly I would recommend 10 Days to a Less Defiant Child written by Jeffrey Bernstein Ph.D. This is a great book for parents who are dealing with children who display truly defiant actions and who throw tantrums on a regular basis. The best thing about this book is it can also be effecting with dealing with defiant teens. It shows parents a 10 day program to help them gain control back over their children and help get security and peace back in their lives. I liked this book because it is very detailed and shows parents what to do step by step. Many parents have seen results after only practicing the program for a couple of days.

All of these books can be found on Amazon.com or Ebay.com and can be purchased at fairly inexpensive prices.