I was at a total loss for what to do. My daughter, Charis, had never been obstinate or rebellious – oh, there was that one time.
But suddenly it was like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Some alien had taken over my daughter and she seemed to ignore anything I asked her to do.
I tried what had always worked before. Nothing.
I even tried my infamous “that face”. No change.
She was probably a little old for spanking,** but I thought I might have to go back to that as the only way to get her attention.
But, fortunately, my wise wife stepped in. “Rick, I don’t think she understands what you want her to do. Let me talk to her.”
Jana did and Charis immediately trotted off happily complying with my request.
What happened here?
I’m not sure the term “one size fits all” applies to anything but I know it doesn’t apply to kids. What works with one may not work with another and may not even work with the same child at another time.
It’s a lot like steering a car. You never get it right so you can just forget it and take a nap. You have to constantly adjust – a little to the left, back to the right, here comes a curve, slow down, speed up.
Parenting requires constantly adjusting, constantly paying attention to what’s going on and steering accordingly so we can navigate this parenting experience with a minimum amount of crashes.
Take the Kid Quiz below to see how well you know the road (your child).
Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds,
Proverbs 27:23
** How old is “too old” to spank? Check out Chapter 5 of Spare the Rod.
Kid Quiz
What is your child’s love language?
What is your child’s favorite color?
What is their favorite food?
What is their learning style?
What is their Motivational Spiritual Gift?
What is their Personality Type?
Who is your child’s best friend?
What about that person do they like best?
What is your child’s favorite subject in school?
Why is that their favorite subject?
What is their favorite thing to do for fun?
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