I’ll Do It My Own Way!

ll’l do it my own way!  I have heard this quote come out of my brothers mouths more times than I would like to recall. You see when I was about 12 or 13 (I am sure my brothers would say something far off like 18 or 19) I was having trouble backing up our lawn mower with the wagon attached to the back and they were watching me struggle with the task. I would back up only to have the wagon jack knife, so I would get off and drag it straight again. One or both of them were there asking to help me.& I kindly said I was fine ha! Not exactly….I WILL DO IT MY OWN WAY, I yelled back.

The crazy thing was it wouldn’t be too big of a deal dragging the wagon back into place a few times, if it were empty. But at the time there was a two huge garbage cans full of vacuumed up grain in it! Man was I stubborn and strong willed! So now anytime someone is trying to do something on their own, without help you can always count on a brother of mine to say, I’LL DO IT MY OWN WAY!

The scary thing now is I heard my 3 year old son say this to me. It displays this type of behavior of the stubborn, strong willed kind on a daily basis. I love him to bits, but this child makes me pull my hair out on occasion with his do it my own way kind of attitude.

ME: Braeden, your underwear is on backwards.
Braeden: No I like it that way!

Me: Braeden, let me help you open that package with those ridiculously large scissors, you could cut yourself.
Braeden: No I can do it by myself!

Me: Braeden, let me show you how to hold a pencil properly.
Braeden: No, I’ll do it my own WAY!!

Braeden is a lot like many children I am sure, they want to do things themselves. That’s fine, I get that. But there is just something behind his three year old independence. He is not a follower (unless demanded by his older sister that he must do so, even then, following doesn’t come with out his own suggestions and opinions) God has put some fire in this boy. A fire to not just go with the flow, but to test his boundaries, try new things for himself and do things on his own. (Even if he gets wedges for half a day 😉

So I hope and pray that even though I am raising a full of fire, strong willed kid I will be able to lead and guide him in the path of following Jesus. The most important person he should follow.