My eldest daughter is strong-willed, and she can turn the smallest request into the biggest fight.

She never listens and doesn’t care if she gets in trouble.

She’s my child I use “no” with most in a day.

She already thinks she knows what’s best for her.

She’s the type of child who needs to try everything on her own and won’t take my word for it.

And she makes me question my parenting every day.

I love all of this about her, she’ll be an unstoppable human, but it can be exhausting.

But yesterday, my strong-willed girl surprised me.

She was going down a slide with her cousins and a friend. They were doing a "Choo Choo Train" down, and they all came to heads at the end. And as they were picking themselves up, I saw my daughter turn around and give her friend her hand to help her friend up off the slide.

And at that moment, I realized something important.

Our strong-willed kids are hearing us.

No, they may not listen to us at that moment, but they’re hearing us and taking it in.

They are taking in the kindness we preach to them.

They are taking in the compassion that we show them.

They are taking it all in.

So, let’s remember to never give up on our strong-willed children.

Because when it comes down to it,

they 𝘢𝘳𝘦 listening.

This post originally appeared on the author's Facebook. Her book "Living FULL: Winning My Battle with Eating Disorder" is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2O4mJId