Kevin Leman - Parenting Your Powerful Child: Bringing an End to the Everyday Battles

Is Your Kid Powering Up?

Its time to take the buzzard by the beak.

Every family has a powerful kid.

Hes the one who flings himself in the door, demands the car keys, and then argues with you that his trip to his buddys to practice basketball is more important than your trip to the grocery store.

Shes the one who, at 2 years old, stomped her foot and said, Do it by self.

Hes the one who drags his feet and cant find things as youre trying to get him out the door to school so you can go to work.

Shes the one the principal calls about, because shes been caught writing unacceptable emails.

Hes the one who says hell take out the trash but never manages to do it.

Shes the one who disses you at Target, then expects you to buy her the hottest new shirt.

Hes the one who talks back, no matter what you say.

Shes the one you sigh over at night.

Hes the one you worry about when its 1:00 a.m. and he still hasnt checked in.

Shes the one whos so sensitive that the entire family walks on eggshells around her.

Hes the one whos even more stubborn than you are.

Do any of these sound familiar?

If so, you of all people can understand that theres a reason some animal mothers eat their young.

Power can come from a lot of places and can look different in the ways it plays out, but the effect on the child, you, and your entire family is the same. Heres what I mean.

When my kids were littleI have five of them, spread across a wide age gapI loved making even the shortest car trips fun. It helped that my kids were young enough to be gullible. For example, when wed drive up to a red light, Id lean over and give a little puff , and the light would magically change to green. The kids were amazed at the power of their dad. Of course, they didnt know that Id been watching the light from the perpendicular direction change to yellow, so I knew ours would become green at that very instant.

On those car trips, wed frequently pass by a power plant in Tucson, Arizona. The first time, the kids asked, Oh, Dad, whats that?

The hamburger factory, I quipped.

Ooohhh, they said in unison awe.

They called it that for a long time.

You see how much power parents have?

But so did that power plant. It wasnt very big, but wow, look at all the houses, businesses, and streetlights that were powered by that seemingly small unit!

Its the same with your powerful child. Heno matter what age or stageis powerfully affecting much more than you think. Hes the child who is orchestrating your entire household by his anticsor the fear of his antics. Shes the one who so frustrates you that you take it out on other family members because you dont want to face a blowout with her. Its simply too exhausting. So that powerful 2-year-old, 5-year-old, 8-year-old, 11-year-old, 15-year-old, or 19-year-old is controlling all your family as a result.

Thats why now is the time to take your buzzard by the beakto take those power surges and transform them into positive urges. After all, power plays only continue when theyre working.

But what if that innate power could be redirected to develop your childs natural talents? To help him stand firm against peer pressure in the most crucial years? To give back to the family not grudgingly but with a smile? To make a difference in your community? Think of all that power causing you grief and frustration being harnessed for the good. Youll be amazed at what your child can accomplish!