Strong willed children usually need more parental focus, time and attention. You must ask God to help you to discern and identify what causes the heart and mind of every child to be won over. You have to win over your child’s will without crushing his or her spirit. This takes time, effort, wisdom and prayer.

No one said parenting was going to be easy, but you will experience the rewards of your labor over time and your children will respect and love you for it.

Does each child in your family experience the same attention?

Do you play favorites because one child is easier to parent than another? It is not unusual to give a compliant child more admiration, affection and affirmation than a strong willed child. Some parents will even admit they love all their children, but do not always like all their children. Do not feel guilty about your feelings. A child with a strong will can be a handful, but there is a way to have a positive mindset even with a strong willed child.

Ask God to help you see a strong willed child as an asset and not a liability. You may have an incredible future leader in your home. If harnessed properly, a strong willed child can become an amazing godly gift to the world. Ask God for the extra love and patience you need to raise a strong willed child, and get the wisdom you need to do so.

A child’s behavior is influenced by many things.

We all begin with a disadvantage in this world, and that is being born with a carnal sinful nature. Every human being has a sinful nature, which is bent towards rebellion and sin. The Bible says there is no one that is good, not one! Therefore every child needs to come to Christ and develop a God consciousness. This is one of your most important roles as a parent, developing your child’s spirituality and teaching them godliness by example first, then instruction.

Rebellion can come from suppressed feelings, hurt, confusion, physical and or emotional pain. Take time to know and understand your child. Ask lots of questions and use discernment to determine the cause of their behavior, positive and negative. Try to understand the whys behind a child’s behavior. Why are they acting out? Why are they sad? Why are they isolating? Why do they not like school? Positive reinforcement, parental consistency and discipline will help bring your child to a place of peace, joy, contentment and obedience.

The highest form of parenting is love.

The highest form of parenting is love, and love is the highest form of spirituality. Never hold back love from your children!

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭

The Bible says God is love. It is impossible to truly define love without God. Love is more than an emotion or a set of words and or actions. For your children to be whole as spiritual beings, they will need to experience Agape love - a love that can only be experienced by a relationship with God. This kind of love touches the deepest part of our being, our spirit being.

Pray constantly for every one of your children and pray with them every day. Bless them when they rise and when they go to bed. Raise them in the House of God and surround them with godly role models and examples. This will take being faithful to God and having an undying spiritual commitment and effort in raising your children.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. ' Proverbs 22:6

Love is deliberate.

Giving of time, affection, undivided attention, making conversation, listening carefully, understanding your child’s feelings, making fun and lasting memories, praying with your children, talking about God and issues of importance, having consistent family times, vacation and dinner together (at least 3x per week) etc., all are forms of love. Every child needs and deserves a parent’s love. God showed His love by sacrificing His Son Jesus even when we did not deserve or earn it.

Interesting

There was a study published by the US National Library of Medicine https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26147775 that examined personality traits exhibited by strong-willed children between the ages of 8 and 12 years of age. They examined 742 children and evaluated them based on things like academic conscientiousness, entitlement and defiance. Forty years later, they were surprised to see a trend. Traits like rule breaking and defiance turned out to be the best non-cognitive predictor of high income as an adult. Again, do not see a strong willed child as a negative, but rather as an opportunity to mold a future success story.

BOTTOM LINE:

A strong willed child may have an advantage later in life.
Take time to know the whys behind your child’s behavior, good and bad.
Every child must experience Agape love to become a whole person.
The highest form of parenting is love and love is deliberate.

Today’s Prayer: LORD, please help me to raise children who will achieve your purpose for them in life. Help me to navigate my parenting of a strong willed child and to see the great potential in them. Give me the patience, understanding and wisdom to do so. In Jesus Name, I pray. Amen

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