Spirited Child

Avery is my Spirited child!

As described by my friend Webster this means: Spir´it`ed
Adj. 1. spirited - displaying animation, vigor, or liveliness
Antonyms:
spiritless - lacking ardor or vigor or energy; "a spiritless reply to criticism"
2. spirited - marked by lively action; "a bouncing gait"; "bouncy tunes"; "the peppy and interesting talk"; "a spirited dance"
Synonyms: peppy, zippy, bouncing, bouncy
3. spirited - willing to face danger
Synonyms: game, gritty, mettlesome, spunky, gamey, gamy
4. spirited - made lively or spirited; "a meal enlivened by the music"; "a spirited debate"
Synonyms: enlivened


Avery is so full of life and character, animation and confidence that this is her world & we are all visitors!!! I love this about her on most days! I helped encourage this character, I believed that she should be able to explore & see everything through her own eyes and definition. Not what I see or believe or think or feel! I mean I get discouraged when people say to her or anyone for that matter… “No don’t eat that you won’t like it” Well honestly how do you know, because you don’t like it, or when they say “ Don’t do that you will get hurt,” (and they do not even know what she is about to do). I mean let her and all people try things without unsolicited advice and opinion! She is exploring & right now she is only 3 and at such an impressionable age, everything is new, it is on most days the first time she has ever seen, tasted, touched, heard or experienced whatever or wherever are journey is taking us to! I have to constantly keep reminding myself of all of my own beliefs, Lately my patience are not what they were with only toddler & one infant! Now I have two toddlers!!! Both very independent & SPIRITED!!!
I am constantly reminding myself that she is only 3 & learning, like when she puts her dirty hands in the not yet ready purple Jell-O & pulls it out dripping sticky purple drops all over my clean floor saying look mommy! How was she to know Jell-O took hours to become ready! I mean really at Luby’s it is always ready to eat!!! Now next time I am allowed to get mad right?

This is Avery tooting her own horn, Supergirl hat, orange apron digging in the dirt for treasure!!!! Gotta love it!!

This is where my challenge comes in. I am so afraid of breaking her spirit that I sometimes let her get away with too much!!! I feel as if I am the child needing to go to timeout or give my self a spanking because she is only acting the way she is allowed to act! I need balance, I give to many choices so I set myself up for a fight! I have been praying very hard about this dilemma! I do not want to break her spirit, yet I feel I am constantly on her case for something. God works in mysterious ways, I was looking through a book of testimony and saw a verse that just spoke to me Proberbs 17:22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. I am a little confused on the verse, does it mean don’t crush her sprit, where do I draw the line? Boundaries? I need tem. Send me another verse Lord!! Please. Proverbs is such a great chapter in the Bible,I should just keep reading! Or, maybe I am as usual over analyzing this!!! Feel free to leave advice, I need it!