Aaron's Way: The Journey of a Strong-Willed Child

Kendra Smiley, a former Illinois Mother of the Year, once thought she had met her match in her strong-willed middle son, Aaron. This clever and manipulative child desired to be in control to such an extent that he would sometimes endure punishment just to avoid admitting he was wrong. Because the book relies almost exclusively on one family's experience without drawing on relevant behavioral or scientific studies to place that experience in context, it is not quite up to the standard of other guides about strong-willed children. However, the book succeeds as a friendly first-person narrative about parenting a stubborn or strong-willed child from birth through the end of high school. Each chapter presents Smiley's suggestions, supplemented by sidebars from Aaron, now grown, who reflects on what it felt like to be a strong-willed child and why he behaved in the ways he did. The book offers a Christian perspective that parents may find helpful in raising challenging kids.