Parenting a stron willed child!

[Maya]

Meridian magazine has a fantastic article on this today!

Meridian Magazine :: Books: The Surrendered Life - Excerpt from Parenting the Strong-Willed Child

I think this article was fantastic!

I been seeing the same adn feeling the same things. So good to read that someone else is thinking the same!

Also like it said in the end ... how can we "How we transfere the natrural submissiveness of our children to the Lord Jesus Christ??"

Enjoy!

[Hemidakota]

Well written article....:)

[Maya]

Yes very so!

[ZionWoman]

Awesome.

[Elgama]

But, as President Eyring suggests, the ultimate goal is not to have them submissive to us. We want them to become independent, functional adults

This was the line which I was in most agreement with - I personally believe a strong willed child, allowed to keep their strong will and encouraged to love themselves for who they are is less likely to go the wrong way and more able to say no.

Both my children have incredibly strong wills, my daughter's is possibly hampered by autism, but I I have personally never seen it as a problem I want them to have a strong will so they can say this is what I believe in and I will stand for it. It can make my life harder at times and I get many comments about my parenting but overall teaching my children correct principles and letting them govern themselves actually makes my life stressful - for example as soon as they became mobile I showed them how to help themselves to a snack, a drink (I keep them in sports bottles in the fridge), I put a bowl with clean water so they could wash their own hands easily, I showed them how to use electrical sockets, how to climb up and down stairs, I have never needed any special safety measures except a chain on the front door and I did consider a toilet lock with my son lol However some people think its marvellous others have kerplixions when my 2 year old son comes in with his CD player and plugs it in (he knows to check the switch is off before putting plug in) or climbs to top of the high slide and hurls himself down with no interference from me but it takes work it took a whole weekend to show how to use plugs and stairs and Daddy spent over an hour with him on the slide once he was sure he was safe we let him go

-Charley

[Hemidakota]

Agreed! Good post.

I have daughter who still retains a spiritual sensitivity and at times, will make a serious mistake. Even earlier this morning, she made that mistake and her mother responded heavy handed with strong words and less affection. The part that had me in tears, is when she called me this morning, she made a tearful apology. Feeling her spirit, all I could tell her, "I do always love you."

As parents, we need to be submissive to GOD before we can really learn how to be effective parent. It is then we learn the simply principles on how to respond effectively to those strong character children as Charley mentioned. I always hoped for perfect children and expected nothing less until my first child did rebelled. Later through a drawn out process of softening the heart, she made a greater change in her life to make an impact to world.