Hi Liesa, I am agreeing with pp as I also have a spirited DD so know how challenging it can be but also love the fact that she is so fearless and outgoing, curious and capable
My mum calls her Leorah Croft as she is so fearless and if she joins the circus as a trapeze artist or ends up as a Hollywood stunt woman I will not be surprised, she now at least jumps off the table and commando rolls lol!
Anyway I just wanted to say that I read RYSC while Leorah was a baby and it was very worthwhile because although a lot of the content concerns older children the advice on how to handle and speak to them as a parent is good to put into practice immediately. I have always put a positive twist onto L's behaviours when people comment she is "hard work" or "wild", I say she is full of energy, knows exactly what she wants, is expressive and keeps me on my toes which I love. Leorah turned 2 a month ago and from RYSC her second year was much easier for both of us, I enjoyed it so much more than the first year and I am pleased to say that in the last month or 2 she has been able to play with some crayons or duplo for more than 5 minutes, I never though I'd see the day lol!
I agree with all the pp that say pick your battles, I used to take L down from the dining table at least 100x a day and then one day I decided I'd just let her sit there if it made her happy and it did and she would spend all her indoor hours on the table and we'd have at least 100 less battles a day, one day we realised she hardly ever gets on the table anymore. Also we took her out of her highchair at 15 months as she was standing on the tray and bouncing like it was a diving board, to this day she still gets down from the table while we are still eating and sometimes while she is still eating because she just can't take sitting at the table for long yet, I am sure it will come but I don't want a battle everynight before the bedtime routine, KWIM?
Another great thing I got from the book was the info on tantrums, I now realise when L is on the floor red faced and silent screaming the tantrum is no longer about what it originally was, she is flooded with emotion and scared at her own reaction, she really appreciates me being there for her at these times.
Anyway as the others have said embrace your lovely, lively, intelligent LO, those little kisses I get when she zooms past me in a flurry of activity mean the world and when she screams "mumma" while squealing in delight upside down from the top of the climbing frame I just hold my breath, say a little prayer and rejoice with her
Definitely use the spirited boards, the ladies that support each other on these are the best