Tag Archives: strong willed

Stubborn or Strong-Willed?

I have written before about how all three of my children are pretty strong-willed and opinionated. Recently, while talking with another parent, he kept referring to his child as willfully stubborn; I realized that depending on how you view it, that tenacity can either be spun in a positive or a negative way… I think it helps to consider a child’s motivation and try to keep an eye on the big picture. A child who is strong-willed and able to stick up for himself, may have a leg-up in life as he gets older. It might be challenging for a … Continue reading →

Parenting the Ephraim’s Child – Deborah Talmadge and Jaime Theler

This nonfiction parenting book takes the “strong-willed child” theory and approaches it from a different direction, one of spirituality. Historically speaking, the tribe of Ephraim was a warrior tribe, firm in their convictions but a little but unruly. The authors of this book have chosen to compare today’s “out of control” child to the Ephraimites, drawing the conclusion that as those warriors of old learned to harness themselves to be righteous spiritual leaders, so can these children learn to magnify their own strengths and to temper their impulses to become truly incredible people. I read this book with a considerable … Continue reading →