Meet my 3 yr old.
This is what happens when you leave her alone with a glue stick.
This little girl has lots of good qualities:
She is silly and full of personality
She loves to dance, skip, run, color and play.
She's rough and tumble and likes to climb trees...
She rubs her lips on the frayed corner of her purple blankie to calm down... how cute is that?
She adds joy to my life.
but...
She's also a strong willed child.
If you prefer, call her a "spirited child". Heck, call her a "difficult" child. It's the plain truth. She fights me on almost everything. All day long. She screams if her sock isn't aligned perfectly, says potty words, kicks me in the shin, kicks the back of my car seat, throws things and has melt downs. Call it whatever you want: she gives me grey hairs.
She is birth control. It's true. Just ask my husband.
She has been difficult since birth. For the first 6 months of her life, if she was awake, she was crying. My husband and I point out babies who are awake and not crying. We think it's weird and not fair.
But even at her worst, she's mostly good. No, having a strong willed child isn't "all bad". Besides all of her good qualities, she is also a blessing to me.
God doesn't give anyone challenges just for the heck of it. We are given challenges so that we can grow in character or learn something. Challenges are blessings disguised as difficult situations.
God has given me this spirited child for a reason. I can learn a lot from her. If I look at all of the qualities I will need to possess in order to be a good mom to her - I am looking at a list of the gifts that God is trying to give me. These are the blessings I can learn from my child...
1. Patience
2. Strength
3. Slow to anger
4. How to love the unlovely
5. Kindness
6. Empathy
7. Sensitivity
8. Determination
9. Enjoy the little things
10. How to find peace in all situations
Wow! What a blessing this child is to me!
I hope your day is as blessed as mine!! Ha! :)
"My husband and I point out babies who are awake and not crying. We think it's weird and not fair." ha-ha-ha! I know exactly what you mean, unfortunately. Sounds just like my Sydney boy :)
ReplyDeleteChallenges are blessings disguised as difficult situations is a great phrase for me to remember!!
ReplyDeleteI still get a little envious when people tell me about how their baby sleeps thru the night. I look back and say "what the heck did I do wrong" ;)
I like to think of strong willed children as those with an abundance of character ;)
Love this post. She sure is a cutie. And she sounds A LOT like my 3 year old! So strong willed mine is, it's not even funny. She sounds like she has great personality!
ReplyDeleteYup, I think I have one of those too!! :D He is getting better (at 5) but we still have our days. BTW - he was like that as in infant too...... sound asleep - eating - or screaming! But she is SO CUTE. I tell mine everyday that he is LUCKY that he is CUTE :D It makes it hard to stay mad for long. Way to look on the BRIGHT SIDE (HA) I need to do that a little more often.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post Summer. I loved your outlook on this difficult strong willed independent girl. They are blessings and challenges at the same time.
ReplyDeleteOh, my days have been at least as blessed as that. My son and I have been battling each other since his conception - and the war rages on. I try to focus on my goal for him - I want to raise him to be a good Christian man. Everything else is cake. It helps me pick my battles and stick to my guns when I'd rather throw my hands up and scream. I LOVE the way you've found the bright side - even in a "difficult" child. I'll try to remember that when the next battle arises!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you so much. I think these little people and their personalities were placed with us for a very special reason...so He can teach us.
ReplyDeleteLove your list!
My daughter's teachers always said she'd be a great leader. Knows what she wants, isn't afraid to go after it and won't compromise her definition of right and wrong. Yea! Whoo hoo!!!
ReplyDeleteIt was still hard, very hard at times!!!!
But, she'll be 21 in a few weeks and they were right!!! A jr. in college and well on her way to conquering the world!
We get along great...as long as we don't have to live with each other for more than a few days!!!! But she's a wonderful young woman with drive and ambition and an incredible mind.
Just don't give up on the tough parenting. Some days you just want to let them have free reign...it's exhausting to parent these strong willed children! But, God is so faithful and He's created them this way for His glory! Great and mighty things are waiting for you!!!!
She'll be grown up and gone before you know it!!
Wouldn't a little get together with all of our girls be fun? She is just adorable and spunky. I love that.... God selected YOU to be her mama because YOU and only YOU had what it took to raise her. You have it all, my friend. xoxo
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