EDITOR ’ S PICK
Boundaries and Spirit
Anytime we talk about strong-willed children , there ’ s always a concern about their free spirit . We love that our strong-willed kids are fierce and bold . We love that they are passionate , determined , persistent , and non-conforming . We don ’ t want to “ break their spirit ,” we just want to “ tame it a little .” Unfortunately , this fear of breaking their spirit may lead to a failure to set appropriate boundaries , so we need to rethink how we look at boundaries . Boundaries are love . They are like the lines in the road that tells drivers where we can safely navigate . Without them , there ’ d be chaos and a lot more accidents and injuries . Boundaries keep us safe , so rather than viewing boundaries as spirit-breaking , we can see them spirit-saving . You are more likely to hurt a strong-willed child ’ s spirit by constantly calling her down or correcting her than you are to provide appropriate boundaries in the first place .
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