God's Bent

     After reading some interesting posts on facebook that took me back to when my kids were small, I had to write this blog.
     Our oldest was 18 months.  I caught her sticking her foot through the railing of our split level house.  True, there was no way she could fall through to the steps and hall beneath her.  Still, being a first time mom it scared me to death.  I told her, "No honey, don't stick your foot through the railing.  You could fall down."  She looked at me and proceeded to stick the very tip of her big toe over the edge. 
     It hit me like a ton of bricks.  I had given birth to my sister.
     My sister is six years younger than me.  She has always gone her own way.  My  Mom said she could look at me from across the room and I'd stop doing whatever I wasn't suppose to be doing.  My sister didn't respond to "the look".  If my mom told her "No!"  she'd stare my Mom down and reach for the forbidden item one more time.  She wanted to be sure Mom meant it.
     This sounded a little too familiar to me.  So, like Wonder Mom, I read whatever I could on the subject.  I talked to friends and the pediatrician.  Finally, I found there was a term for what our child "had".  She/he was strong-willed.  Our parents call that "stubborn and ornery". 
     Nothing I tried really worked.  When I read Dr. Dobson's "The Strong-Willed Child" I resolved to make it work.  It didn't.  I did learn to have a discipline plan in place.  That sorta worked.  And please don't be thinking, "You needed to be more consistent."  Believe me, I  consisted like crazy.
     Checking on your child before you go to bed to find they have smeared poo all over their crib isn't fun.  Having them spit out repeated amounts of antibiotics when they are gravely ill was no party either.  Then, they get older and out and out refuse to take their medicine.  I once told my husband that if our child had belonged to anyone else, he/she would have been black and blue.  Thank God (literally) I knew better.
     One mother told me, "Every child's bent is different.  Deciding what your child's bent is, is important.  I have a book on the subject."  Wow, really?  How nice for you.  I'm done reading.  Bent is their makeup or personality.  Aren't you glad I shared that?
     Anyway, eventually, our child did grow out of it.  When?  I can't tell you.  After the second and third baby arrived, life became a blur.  I can tell you I remember praying and praying.  Once I even raged, "God, what do I do?"  His answer?  Just love her/him! 
     Isn't that what God does for us?  He just loves us.  Talk about strong-willed children!  Take a minute and think of all we've done that was nothing more than stubborn and ornery behavior. And God sent Jesus to take on all the ways we've messed up?
     Just love them.  All of them.  In the end, you will rejoice just like God!