“Thank you, Grandma,” he said without looking up.

Chandler’s first word as a baby was no. He’d become so used to being told no that he thought he could say it to me and my husband. We mistakenly thought it was cute when he was two, but after a while his disobedience was not so funny. Some days can be a real challenge.

My husband and I pray together and do our best to support each other in disciplining and raising Chandler. I have to remind myself that God will give us wisdom and grace to raise our son. After all, I have a strong will myself, so I at least know how Chandler thinks. And maybe, just maybe, God is still working on my own strong will.

Being a parent of a strong-willed child can be challenging. Parents need to set up appropriate rules and boundaries, especially while their child is young. If not, the strong-willed child will most certainly make some unwise choices. But God can give you everything you need to do the job well. In Proverbs 22:6, He tells us to “teach a youth about the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Raising children is not easy—even for the most patient, loving, and devoted parent—but the rewards are immeasurable.