[JamJah]

BUMP!! And join in if anyone is still needing to??

[elliebear]

Pick me! Pick me!!

DD8 is definitely a spirited child- very emotional, alert, hard to get to sleep, now her behaviour is causing problems at school eg distracting others, social issues, not working to her potential

[VintageEyes]

Hi JamJah!

Unfortunately this thread never really took off..maybe I am just really bad at hosting a thread?!

But I am happy for you to PM me if you wanted to chat! DS is now 2 and does seem to have settled down a lot or it could just be that I am more used to him now. Or perhaps now the others in my Mum's group hsve hit the toddler years his behaviour doesn't stand out as much?

[Guest_Retro_Mumma_*]

Im in.

My DS is beautiful and sometimes can be a little gentleman but generally the only way to describe him is Full.On.All.Day

He doesnt walk - he runs.

He rips skirting boards from the wall and those metal thingys that you have between the door frame off the ground.

He has broken several child proofing locks - not opened them - broken them.

You cant turn your back on him for a second he is into everything and does a runner any chance he gets.

[hoohoobump]

Me too.

I have read 'Raising your spirited child' after an EB recommendation. I have learned lots of strategies and am finding the toddler stage busy, but fabulous.

DS is another who is on the go from the minute his eyes open until he goes to sleep. He also runs, and runs and runs. Since he learned to roll at 4 months or so, he was off. He eats constantly!!! He is also intense, determined and VERY tactile and in your face. E.g. hugs, cuddles, physical settling works really well. That said he is also very aware of others emotions and empathetic.

It took time to work out the 'slow to adapt' thing e.g. Changing daycare teachers at the start of the year was very traumatic.

I think he's fab, but his personality certainly was a shock to introverted me.

[Guest_holy_j_*]

I usually refer to my kids as Feral but Spirited sounds so much nicer (not insinuating anything about anyone's kids but my own by the way)

I have 2 full on boys and one girl who is moderately full on- I think a lot of her behaviour is learnt.

See if any of this sounds familiar.
#1- 8.5 years old currently. Was crusing around the house in his walker from 3.5 months old, was crawling at 6, walking at 9 months old. He was climbing on stuff before he could even walk, i have pictures of him perched on top of cupboards, TV units, counters. Was walking 1.5km regularly with me from 11 months old. Turned your back he was already half way up the road the minute he learned to walk. Climbed out of the cot at 6 months old.

Everything is something to be climbed for him STILL. Normal kids play on the swingset, he's perched on top of it. Fences are tightropes, poles are climbing ropes. Ledges in the houses are to be swung off. Doorways are to be shimmied up. Walls are for doing handstands. Overhead cupboards are footholds for doing flips off.

At 2, i put him in his room for time out. A few minutes later, i heard a knock on the door. My 2 year old had decided to climb out the window - house wasn't a 2 story one, but it was raised on stumps so it was enough of a distance for a 2 year old to be jumping off. One other time, at 2 as well, he decided he wanted to play a trick on me, and climbed up on top of the clotheslines to hide from me- literally on top of the centre bit. I had DD as a baby then, I knew he'd gone outside, and a minute or 2 later i put DD down to go look for him, i could not find him anywhere. Never occurred to me, to look up. I freaked out, big time, searched everywhere, then again, then rang DP at work crying and said I've lost DS, you need to come home right now (he worked close). A few minutes later, I heard laughter coming from above - there he was. I could have strangled him, little sh*t!!

Dozens of stories like this. DD is similar, but it's learned, not instinctive.

DS2, is extremely similar. Same thing, everything is an obstacle to be climbed. He started crawling at 5 months, and walking just before 10. Not long after his first birthday, he figured out how to climb- and decided the neighbours yard was far more interesting than ours, so over their fence he went. I had a barely turnied 1 year old climbings fences. I guess i should ahve seen it coming as he climbed out of the cot, the minute he learned to pull himself up on furniture, little later than DS1, I can't remember exactly when now, so i won't give than an age, but it was before 10 months old when he learned to walk.

They also have that horrible affliction of destroying things DS1 unscrewed the screw from a recliner chair, then promptly lost half of them. Among dozens of other things. DS1 and DS2 have major sleep problems, they have 2 speeds off and on. No in between speeds. DS2 was drawing at the desk the other night and fell asleep, pen still in hand, head upright.

I'd be here all time with all their antics, also the fidgeting does my head in sometimes! DS1 cannot sit still, right now he's in front of the disney channel, i can hear creaks, bangs, and tics coming from the room.

People say, that's nothing, my kid was doing that at _____age, you should be fine to handle it, but you really don't know how full on they are, unless you have the same sort of kids.

This post has been edited by holy_j: 13/04/2012, 05:22 PM

[Guest_Dinah_Harris_*]

I have a spirited 3 year old DD.
She runs everywhere and needs constant mental stimulation.
She is extremely empathetic and sensitive. She gets frustrated very easily and will have a tantrum about a button not going into the hole right.
She talks and talks and talks and TALKS! not just in toddler speak, but she says things like: "Mum, I'd appreciate it if you could tell me what salt tastes like."
I say, "Salty."
Not good enough. Cue half hour discussion about what makes salt tastes salty.
She memorises entire books.
She likes to play loud stomping, yelling games with boys.
By the end of the day, I am mentally exhausted.
I really can't wait until she goes to school!

[elliebear]

Dinah_Harris:-

I also could not wait until my daughter started school... then found it she thought it was boring and a waste of time. The bright kids start school way ahead of their peers and may not be catered to adequately in the classroom.. leading to more frustration at home

[T2Mum]

She runs everywhere and needs constant mental stimulation.
She is extremely empathetic and sensitive. She gets frustrated very easily and will have a tantrum about a button not going into the hole right.
She talks and talks and talks and TALKS! not just in toddler speak, but she says things like: "Mum, I'd appreciate it if you could tell me what salt tastes like."
I say, "Salty."
Not good enough. Cue half hour discussion about what makes salt tastes salty.
She memorises entire books.

I have a 4.5 year old EXACTLY like this. Can I join the group please?

[CFMummy]

Ill join my DD2 is very spirited. She can climb the unclimbable like the big cots in hospital they have to have one with a roof now because she can.
I will add that she is the quiet acheiver type