Strong-willed or world changer?

The warm breeze gently blows bringing with it the sweet scent of spring flowers. Sunshine beams down warming our souls. Kindergarten children laugh and play together and then out of nowhere thud, thud, thump! The small moment of bliss gone in an instant. One of the kindergarten children has decided to climb up onto the roof of the shed. The lovely little person calls out in delight, “Look Mrs Vee, I am supersonic, and I am going to save the world!”

Yes, there is always that one child! The adventure bound explorer with endless energy and a mind full of creative ideas. Guaranteed to keep the Kindergarten teacher on her toes! These children are the ones that bound into Kindergarten with their parents trailing behind them. The poor bedraggled parents appear to have been hit by a train on their journey to Kindergarten. But alas no, they have just spent the entire morning chasing, coaxing and begging their child to get dressed in something other than their big sisters high heel shoes and a wizard cape. These parents have been blessed with a strong-willed child!

During my years teaching the three-year old’s in Kindergarten I was blessed to get to know several children of the strong-willed disposition! I will share a little secret; these lively little ones are my favourite children to have in class. Yes, these little ones talk endlessly, move about even when they should be sitting still and have endless questions. They are admired by their peers and somehow have the knack of enticing them to partake in their adventures too. My answer to parents who sought my advice about their wild child’s behaviour has always been “don’t worry, strong willed children are leaders, they grow to be amazing adults!”

But what happens when the strong-willed child ends up being your own flesh and blood? Yes, it just so happens that my youngest child fits into the strong-willed category. He is the one that at the mere age of two has an endless capacity to explore and make noise. His sweet toddler voice can transform instantaneously from an angelic melody to something which sounds demonic, while he screams “No, I don’t, I don’t!”. When he hasn’t attended playgroup for a week or so, on my return I am greeted with “Oh, it was so quiet the last few weeks without your little person here”. Recently, when I picked him up from daycare the exhausted teachers said “How do you do it all day? We are exhausted”. She then proceeded to tell me until this time in history not one baby had ever decided to pull up all the big garden rocks and carry them around the yard to various locations until my little person came to the centre. Worst still I was informed that he somehow got several of the other baby’s to be involved too!

So here I stand in the shoes of a parent, my teacher hat is off. What do I think about ending up with my very own strong-willed child? Well, mostly I think how extremely lucky I am, because I know that my child, just as the likeminded are unlikely to be subject to peer group pressure as a teenager. I know that strong-willed children will most likely remain persistent and determined to do well in every endeavour they put their mind to, and that their elevated levels of energy will see them accomplish tasks which seem impossible to the mere mortal. Alas, they are today and tomorrows leaders!

So, whether I have my teachers hat on, or my parent hat on, I will have always have a secret place in my heart for the strong-willed child. I will say to anyone seeking advice regarding their strong-willed child “You, are blessed, your child is amazing and wonderful. Your child is going to be a world changer”.