You may have heard me talk about my insanely strong-willed eldest son and how he threw us for a loop as a child. You may have heard me describe how he spit in my face, threw books at my head, and tried to run away at age seven. In those early years, I honestly feared he would end up in prison.
Things have changed drastically since then. When Greg and I overhauled our parenting, we started to see some improvement in his behavior. And eventually, he grew into a top-notch young adult, bearing no hint of his former “my way or the highway” mentality.
Today is the day you have been waiting for, my friend because you get to hear from him. When he was home from college for Christmas break, he graciously agreed to allow us to interview him about his transition from a strong-willed child to a strong and caring leader. Nothing was scripted, and we had no idea what he was going to say, so that makes it even more interesting.
His transformation over the years has been nothing short of remarkable. I hope you will listen and gain some hope or perspective that might help you in your parenting journey.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
- What Jordan remembers about his early childhood and how it relates to where he is today
- How perfectionism has played a huge role in his story, how he learned to overcome his desire to be perfect at everything, and what he now does instead
- How his determination and drive (aka “strong will”) has been a blessing in his life
- How he felt about having vastly different interests than most of his teenage peers, and how he learned to be OK with being different
- The big lessons he learned when he was placed in leadership roles almost immediately upon arriving as a missionary in Hawaii
- In what ways he felt prepared when he left home, and where he felt his training was lacking
- What skills he feels are the most important for young adults to master before leaving home
- How he believes parents can best support their young-adult children
And the crowning moment…
His advice to parents of strong-willed kids who sometimes struggle to feel like their efforts are doing any good:
The battles will be hard, but don’t give up. I’m grateful that my parents didn’t give in. If they had let me grow up the way I wanted to grow up, I would be in a lot worse of a place right now. I would still think I was entitled to everything I want and that the world revolved around me.
Jordan Sheppard
READY TO LISTEN?
You can do that right here or on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Spotify.
YOU ALSO MIGHT ENJOY:
- Episode 37: Lead with Authority
- Episode 16: Raising a Strong-Willed Child Without Losing Your Mind
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