Your Child Is Not Stubborn, Mama!

Mama, please listen. No child is born stubborn. Every child comes into this world carrying a nature that needs shaping, yes! But stubbornness? That’s not who they are. To call your two‑year‑old, five‑year‑old, or seven‑year‑old stubborn is to mislabel a seed that God Himself entrusted in your very hands.

I know people have said it to you. Pastor’s wives, church mothers, relatives, neighbors, they’ve whispered about your little child that:

“That child is so hard.”
“That child is too stubborn.”
“You better deal with that child early.”

And before you realized it, you believed them. You carried their words home. You started calling your child what they called him. You began to see him through their complaints instead of through God’s eyes. You even prayed wrong prayers: “Lord, help this stubborn child.”

Pause, Mama. Stop before you crush a glorious seed.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” (Proverbs 18:21)

 

See Through Heaven’s Eyes

Every child is different. God didn’t give you that child so you could impress the world with your parenting style. If that is your goal, perish that idea, sis! He gave you that child so you could disciple a destiny. Don’t let pride or frustration break the wings of the one He entrusted to you.

They say your child is stubborn because he talks a lot, because she jumps here and there, because he climbs, touches, asks, and tests everything. Meanwhile, other children look calm and quiet, and you start wishing yours was like them.

Oh, c’mon! Be content with your energetic baby! So many people wish their children could be even a little locomotive. So many wish they could have kids that’d keep them busy all day long! They would give all millions for this experience!

God doesn’t see a burden when He sees your energetic baby. He sees fire that needs direction. He sees a boldness that will one day defend the Truth. He sees a curiosity that can grow into wisdom. He sees leadership waiting for guidance.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand.” (Ephesians 2:10)

 

Parenting With Love, Not Frustration

You get home and pounce on your little child because while at church, she wouldn’t sit still and everyone was looking at you weirdly. And you call that discipline? Oh, c’mon!

Discipline is necessary in parenting, oh yes, very biblical, but discipline is not the same as venting. Correction without love is abuse while correction with love is guidance. If anger is your reason for discipline, stop. Breathe. Pray. Because one moment of fury can plant a lifetime of insecurity in your child.

You’re not raising a child to impress neighbors. You’re raising a soul for Jesus. Talk to God about your child more than you talk to others. Don’t shame them publicly. Don’t compare them with siblings. Create space for their energy.

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)

Also Pray: Deliverance of the Womb and the Breasts 

Start Leading Them to Christ Early

Mama, don’t wait until your child is “old enough” to begin pointing them to Jesus. Every child is born with an adamic nature. Begin as soon as they can say “Mama.”

Leading a child to Christ is not a one‑time event, not a box you check off after a single prayer or Sunday service. It is a daily invitation until you see them saved, and early enough! Keep leading them to Jesus; not just once, but over and over again.

And Mama, don’t shy away from the hard truths. Teach them early about sin, about the reality of hell, and about the holiness of God. Don’t sugarcoat the gospel. Stop ‘Christian’ channels that only sugarcoat the gospel. Children can understand more than we think, and it is better that they learn the fear of God from your lips and early enough as well!

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10)

 

Your Marriage Is Their First Bible

Mama, your marriage is a big deal. It is the best gift you can give to your children. More than toys, more than opportunities, more than education; more than church activities and Bible stories, the atmosphere of love and holiness between you and your husband is the soil in which their souls grow.

Your marriage is the living proof of the God you tell them about. When you speak of His goodness, they should be able to see it reflected in the way you and your husband treat each other. When you speak of His holiness, they should feel it in the purity of your home. When you speak of His mercy, they should witness it in your forgiveness.

Children learn softness from you. They learn appreciation when they see you thank each other. They learn apology when they hear you say “I’m sorry” and mean it. They learn prayer when they watch you kneel together. They learn love when they see you embrace. They learn respect when they hear you speak gently to one another. They learn patience when they see you endure trials without bitterness.

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)

 

Speak Life Into Your Child Every Morning

Mama, every morning is a fresh opportunity to shape his/her destiny. Don’t just wake your child with routine words from this day on, wake them with life. Step into their room, lay your hands gently on their head, and speak into their spirit. Command their heart to align with the will of God.

Whisper declarations that will echo in their spirit all day long:

“You are well‑behaved. You have the mind of Christ. You enjoy peace and rest in your spirit. You are joyful and cheerful. You will not be crushed. You will love Jesus. You will be wise. You will be pure. You will bless your generation. You will be all the Lord wants you to be.”

And then, softly, make them repeat after you. Let the words come out of their own mouth. When they speak it, they begin to believe it.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

 

Children Are Mirrors

Do you have a child above seven years old, and you already see signs of truancy? Pause, Mama. Children are mirrors. They were empty slates handed over to us, and whatever we write there or allow others to write is what we will see reflected back.

Maybe the truancy you see is not just about your child. Maybe it speaks more about your home. Maybe it reflects your own failures, your own hardness, your own unresolved struggles.

But it is not too late. You don’t need charms or schemes, you need surrender. Build that home. Fix that marriage. Die to self. Carry the Spirit. Yield to His leading for the sake of your child.

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

 

Your Child Is Not Stubborn

Mama, your child is not stubborn. Your child is alive, full of energy, full of destiny. That spark you see is not rebellion, it is life searching for direction. Don’t crush it. Shape it. Don’t silence it. Guide it. Partner with God to raise a soul that will shine for Him.

Every child carries a rhythm, a unique sound from heaven. Some are loud, some are quiet, some are restless, some are calm, but all are gifts. Your role is not to compare them, not to label them, but to help them discover their rhythm in Christ.

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.” (Psalm 127:3)

So speak life. Pray daily. Guide gently. Correct with love. And above all, see your child through heaven’s eyes. Because one day, the very energy you feared might overwhelm you will become the fire that lights up generations.

In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

 

Download: Encouragement for Mothers by Annie Poonen