Strong-Willed Kids

Matthew, Amy
David, Zach

I had four of them.  They each were born strong-willed!  It may have manifested in different ways, but they were all four definitely strong-willed.

Andy & I wanted our kids to know God at a young age and fall in love with Him early.  And then my prayer was that they would become "stand-alone kids!"  I wanted them to be able to stand up against peer pressure.  I wanted them to be the positive peer pressure--helping others to make good choices.  (Which may have been a little unrealistic....you think?)  Well, one day when they were all under 13, I'd just about had it with four strong-willed kids.  They were fighting, arguing, and yelling and I went into my room and probably slammed the door and wailed to God, "WHY DID YOU GIVE ME FOUR STRONG-WILLED KIDS?"  It was overwhelming.  And then I heard God say, "You can't have it both ways, Becky.  You can't ask me to make them stand-alone kids without having a strong will!"  And I can honestly say I never questioned Him about it again.

Man!  Am I proud of my kids!!  Did they ever give in to peer pressure?  Of course...they were kids.  But I believe as adults we set the pace for peer pressure.  How many of our homes are decorated just like everyone else's?  How many of us drive the same kind of car?  How many of us wear the same style of clothing?  See?  We all just want to fit in.

A strong will helps us get through some hard things in life.  It can help us overcome hurtful things which might have happened in childhood.  A strong will can sharpen another strong will.  A strong will can cause us to persevere and meet new challenges.  A strong will can help us pursue our dreams!  A strong will can even help a senior adult make big life changes.  A strong will just needs to be guided and developed.  It's easy to misinterpret it for rebellion.  Be careful to not jump to conclusions like I did a few times.  Ask God to show you how to work with Him to develop those strong wills in your home.

My kids are adults now making their own choices.  They all have different personalities and preferences.  And I'm thankful to say....they're all still strong-willed.  They're gonna need it for their own strong-willed kids.  Apparently, it's in the genes.

Matthew, Amy, David, Zach