Stubborn or Tenacious?

As I was wrestling with Gigi to put her clothes on the other day, I caught myself thinking, "Ugh! I wish she weren't so darned stubborn!"

And then I realized that "tenacious" is just a kinder word for stubborn, and that is something I want my daughter to be.


That episode has caused me to think about Gigi and her growing personality, and what our role is as parents in raising her. Even though in frustration I sometimes wish that she weren't so *insert quality here*, I am realizing more and more that for each "stubborn" there is invariably a "tenacious" and that all of her qualities make her uniquely fit to survive and thrive in this world. My job is not to stomp out anything, but to teach her how to use the gifts that God selected specifically for her, and channel her qualities to good ends.

If any of you have figured out how to do that, please let me know.