Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, parenting advice, author of Raising Your Spirited Child

Mary's Books

"Dr. Mary's latest research and strategies will allow me to provide clear, useful guidance." —Marjorie Hogan, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota

Raising the Spirited Child by Dr. Mary Sheedy Kurcinka - Fully Updated Edition

"New, fully updated! After 25 years helping families just like yours, I am able to give you the most empowering tools ever."
-Dr. Mary

Raising the Spirited Child Workbook by Dr. Mary Sheedy Kurcinka - Fully Updated Edition

"Due to your book alone, we were able to eliminate 90% of the length of time of temper tantrums, and we are very close to preventing the tantrums completely." -Ann

Kids, Parents and Power Struggles by Dr. Mary Sheedy Kurcinka

"I have given copies of your book to any parent that confides in me that they are at their wit's end. I tell them, 'it will change your life,' because that's what it did for me and my family." -Jennifer

Sleepless In America by Dr. Mary Sheedy Kurcinka

"My eight-year-old is sleeping probably the best he ever has in his life." -Cindy

Mary Sheedy Kurcinka - Parent Child Help

Dr. Mary is an internationally recognized parent educator, and best-selling author with over one million books in print. Her work has been translated into 24 languages. She holds a Doctorate in Education focusing her research on spirited infants and children, sleep, and family systems. She also graduated with honors with a Master’s Degree in Family Social Science and a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development and Early Childhood Education.

Now she is delighted to announce the December 2020 publication of her new book, Raising Your Spirited Baby: A Breakthrough Guide to Thriving When Your Baby is MORE... Alert and Intense and Struggles to Sleep. It joins her previous best sellers Raising Your Spirited Child, now in its third edition, Kids, Parents and Power Struggles, Sleepless in America, Is Your Child Misbehaving or Missing Sleep and The Raising Your Spirited Child Workbook. All can be purchased from local bookstores and on-line at Amazon.

News and Information

What's New

Coming December 2020!

A breakthrough guide to thriving when you baby is alert, intense and struggles to sleep. Preorder today!

Parenting Tips!

Every week we post parenting tips on either our Facebook page or our blog. Check out the latest tips on children's sleep, tantrums, power struggles, discipline, child development, temperament, spirited children and keeping your cool when your child is losing theirs. We're always open for more suggestions, so feel free to send them our way using our Contact page.

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Parent Support Group

In addition, Facebook has a group page started by and for the parents of "Spirited Children". The group is a closed group (but still accepting new members) where parents look for advice and support from other parents. Feel free to check it out using the link below.

SPIRITED CHILD PARENT SUPPORT GROUP

Consultations & Classes

Dr. Mary Sheedy Kurcinka Private Behavioural and Sleep Consultations

Private Behavioral and Sleep Consultations

Dr. Mary has helped hundreds of families just like yours. She provides private consultations on both behavior and sleep issues. A one-hour personal session, via phone or Skype, gives your family an opportunity to discuss the specific issues you are facing. You will work with Dr. Mary to develop a targeted plan that works for your family.

"In just one hour on the phone, we were able to gain an entirely new perspective on the issues we were having. You gave us real tools and ideas that we could apply immediately." -Jason

Classes, Webinars and Workshops

For over 35 years Dr. Mary has provided parenting workshops and keynotes throughout the world. She has a large number of offerings and customizes or creates each session so that it meets the specifics needs of her audience. Dr. Mary’s speaking style brings audiences to life as they laugh and learn the essentials for effective parenting.

“Mary, I am so appreciative of how you customized your information and remarks to our audience. You brought important information to the group with humor and poise. The audience was mesmerized and we got excellent feedback.” -Merri

Blog Highlights

Dr. Mary Sheedy Kurcinka & Lynn Jesson from Paidea Child Development Center

Parenting Questions for
Dr. Mary & Lynn

August 6, 2020

In the Heat of the Moment Instead of Saying That...Try Saying This...

Your response changes your child’s. A slight adjustment in your words and actions can make a huge difference in whether your child escalates or calms. For example, you are trying to make dinner when your child insists, she needs you to help her put a shirt on her bear. If you say, “You need to wait!” Odds are your child will meltdown on the spot. But if instead you say, “I will help you. What would you like to do while you are waiting for me to finish this?” Your child may surprise you, at least for a few moments, by demonstrating patience you never realized she had.

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July 11, 2020

It's Mine! Teaching Your Child to Share

Jenny had been looking forward to seeing her friend and letting their two-year-old children Abigail andIsaac play together, but the visit deteriorated quickly. No matter what toy Isaac picked up, Abigail grabbed it away shouting, “Mine!” She even pushed Isaac when he turned his back to her to protect thetoy in his hand. Jenny was mortified by Abigail’s behavior. When she contacted us Lynn and I assuredher, Abigail was not being aggressive, but she was being two.

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