Raising the Strong Willed Child

When our youngest was kindergarten age, several of the other mothers at school started suggesting books like Your Strong Willed Child.  I read them and laughed.  They might have worked on some children, I suppose.

Little Go To It liked to ski straight down the hill.  In her puffy green jacket and panda bear hat, all I could do was holler “Watch out for that ski lift pole!”  Pretty much everything was hell bent.  Screaming down our cul de sac on her bike, she forgot to brake and ran into a car, breaking her knee while we had a baby sitter.  

Wasn’t the only time.

After school sometimes she’d go into the office and ask Mrs. LaDuca if she could have the rest of the Costco muffin tray that someone brought in that morning.  Mrs. LaDuca nodded, rather surpised that Little Go To It could eat them all, but Go To It wouldn’t eat them herself.  She’d take them out to the carpool lane where parents were picking up kids and sell them.  Then into the basketball game and sell the rest.  She’d give the money to the school or buy a book for the library. At least that’s what she told me she did with the money.

Her fourth grade teacher wrote on her end of the year report card: “…has made such progress this year!  She used to come in from recess and say ‘MOVE’ to the other kids that were in her way.  Now she bellows ‘EXCUSE ME!’”

When she finally left that small private school and moved to public school, they gave her some tests to see where to place her.  One of them was a creativity test.  I asked what was involved with that.  The administrator said that the child is given a box to draw in.  Inside the box is pre-printed something like you or I might have drawn for a seagull flying away into the sunset.  You know, sort of like a cursive “M”.  Two humps.  If the child draws seagulls flying away into the sunset, well…not very creative.

When Go To It came out we asked her about this. 

“What did you draw?” we asked.

“Well, I drew a man.  Fixing the pipes under the sink.  You know.  A plumber.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.  You can’t see much of him.  Only the part that you can usually see on plumbers. Don’t blame me, they had already put in the butt crack.  You know, two humps. I made sure they got it by drawing a tool box next to him with the name Rising Moon Plumbing Company.”

My guess is that she passed.

All grown up know, as an event coordinator, she has to have plenty of creativity.  Even in the Army, she better have creativity, for she helps her company plan parties for family welfare and recreation. One must come up with great ideas on a shoestring.  And I’m thinking, that since she’s in the Army, it is also good that she knows how to say MOVE or EXCUSE ME when she has to.

I couldn’t be prouder.