Isn’t it strange how you think you have parenting nailed down with your first child, and then another child comes along and breaks all the rules you thought you had figured out? Little Johnny is confident, then along comes little Mary, and you’d think you beat her daily. She has no self esteem at all. Our first-born had the energy of three kids, he was born angry because he couldn’t walk and he worked insistently toward mobility until he literally ran at nine months. I have a picture of him at just a few weeks old with his head up looking over the edge of his basinet. At least his eager persistence got me wall to wall carpeting. It was like making him a padded room so he wouldn’t kill himself. He was the textbook strong-willed child. He knew what he wanted and look out if you got in between him and his goal. Then our daughter came along and if you even indicated that you might be even slightly displeased with what she had done, she was crushed. If we had handled her in the same manner as our son, we would have destroyed her. Heather was disciplined to the max, detail oriented, don’t dare tell her it was three when it was three and a quarter. Then along came number three, and life was good for him, he was mister even keel, happy and stable. He rarely needed correction or discipline, but he needed motivation. So with every child we had to adjust our approach. Think of Jesus, He never dealt with two people in the same way. In Mark 8:32 we find Jesus healing a blind man by spitting in his eyes, shortly after that in Mark 10, he heals Bartimaeus by just saying “Your faith made you well.” In John 9, He makes mud with spit and dirt and puts it into the guys eyes and he is healed. Three men and three different solutions to the same problem. If Jesus wasn’t married to cutter cutter techniques we shouldn’t be either. Our children are unique and special creations with individual giftings and callings. We need to treat each one as a rare and precious gift. “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:14 We are also responsible before God to seek Him for direction for each of our children. And when we get stumped, who better to ask for advice than the Creator?
Forget the Cookie Cutter
Author: scourtneylawson
S. Courtney Lawson Writer and speaker Sandy Lawson recently hit two Amazon.com best-seller lists with the new business book, "Transform," co-authored with best-selling author and speaker Brian Tracy. Sandy Lawson serves as a Care Pastor at Element Church, in Wentzville Missouri, one of the fastest growing churches America. Sandy recently joined noted business development expert, best-selling author and speaker, Brian Tracy, along with a select group of the world's leading experts, to co-author the book titled, Transform: The World's Leading Entrepreneurs and Professionals Get to the Heart and Soul of Transforming your Life, Business & Health. The book was released on September 18, 2014 by CelebrityPress™ - a leading business book publisher. On the day of release, Transform reached best-seller status in two Amazon.com categories - reaching as high as #6 in the "Direct Marketing" category. The book also reached best-seller status in the "Marketing and Small Business" category. Sandy contributed a chapter titled, "The Relationship Transformation...Taking Relationships From Terminal to Transformed." Sandy Lawson has over 30 years of experience partnering with her husband, Kip, in family ministry and outreach. She's had the privilege of serving on staff at three mega churches prior to Element Church. In addition, she and her husband also had the honor of building the bus ministry of the Oneighty Youth Group at Church on the Move in Tulsa, Oklahoma from 400 riders weekly to nearly 1,500 riders each week. Her biggest joy is coaching people in their personal relationships and helping them reach their God-given potential. She and her husband have helped hundreds of couples turn failing marriages into happily-ever-afters, as well as assisting parents in their quest to create healthy thriving families. In their career, Sandy and her husband have been a major influence in the lives of thousands of children, teens, and adults around the world. Sandy is the mother of three, and the grandmother of eight wonderful grandkids. She and her husband have been married over 46 years. She is the author of a parenting book, "Parenting Through the Mirror" which explores the concept that great parenting must begin with personal transformation. She is also the author and illustrator of a children's geology book, "Iggy and the Volcano" that teaches kids the cycle of igneous rocks. Sandy is a freelance writer, speaker, blogger and was a major contributor to an internationally distributed children's curriculum. After such a successful release, Sandy Lawson will once again be recognized by The National Academy of Best-Selling Authors™, an organization that honors authors from many of the leading independent best-seller lists. View All Posts
scourtneylawson 
Fun read San! How old was Erik when Fred tried to sit him up by himself?
I think he must be only 3 or 4 months.
Man, that was back at the apartment. I think he was just 3 or 4 months old.