Loving Caroline

I have blogged numerous times before on the challenges of Caroline's personality. She is strong willed and determined to say the least. But, I have come in these past few weeks to embrace her little personality in a new way. To try and look at the challenging moments more like teaching moments instead of either a)giving her what she wants or b) freaking out on her! Both Jeff and I have come to realize that if you can make it through fifteen minutes of unadulterated screaming,she usually gives up. Now this is USUALLY, she has been known to go on for up to 45 minutes.
Yesterday she had a ped opthomology apt in GR. She was being fairly strong willed with the doctor and he just laughed and sympathized b/c evidently his 8 year old daughter was just like Caroline as a toddler. He then proceeded to tell me of a study that found that strong willed children are less likely to be influenced by peer pressure. I pray that is the case with little Squeak, as she is affectionately known. That has been my prayer for her for sometime, as her stubborness has become more evident to us. That she will use it for good, to stand for what is right and be a shining example to her peers instead of leading the pack into bad choices. I always pray that she would be surrounded by great friends who hold her accountable when we're not there to do that as much anymore. To be honest, thinking about my kids growing up to that age where they are on thier "own" so to speak freaks me out. Sure, this season has it challenges but at the end of the day, I know where they have been, what they've watched, who they have hung out with and that they are safely sleeping in my home.
I am not sure where this post came from. I guess, its because although raising Caroline isn't so easy, with all her requests for "guggies" and to watch "Chanted" aka "Enchanted" and her contagious belly laugh, loving Caroline is one of the easiest things I have ever been lucky enough to do!