by Jennifer Macon-Steele

Created on: December 21, 2009

Parenting any child is sometimes a challenge. Even the most compliant children create parental confusion sometimes. But what about strong-willed children? Some children are constantly pushing the limits and making parents nuts. We love our strong-willed children, but sometimes they bring us to the brink of sanity.

 Here are some tips for dealing with strong-willed kids.

 Tip #1 Give your kid some power. Strong-willed children thrive on power and independence. Find ways that your child can decide his own destiny. Even a toddler can be given a choice between two t-shirts or two movies.

 Tip #2 Consistency is extremely important. You must be consistent with your strong-willed child. This is the child that will take a mile if given an inch. If you make a rule, you must stick to it. There are no exceptions.

 Tip #3 Make your rules carefully. Because you must be absolutely consistent with a strong-willed child, you should be careful about the rules you make. Too many rules will make your child feel smothered. Only make rules about things that matter. Do you really care if your child puts his socks in the hamper every single time? Maybe not, but you probably care if he wears his bicycle helmet every single time. Don’t make rules just to show your power as a parent. Strive for as few rules as possible, and make sure the rules you do have are serious.

 Tip #4 Discipline your child. Some children can grow up just fine with redirection and a few disapproving glances now and then. If that’s your child then you are a lucky parent indeed. Children with strong wills, however, require parental action. Come up with some consequences for bad behavior, and stick to them. Of course it’s best if both parents use the same consequences.

 Some parents of strong-willed children believe that spanking is necessary to discipline their kids. I am not going to tell you that spanking isn’t right for your child. Only you can decide that. However I would encourage you to explore other options and see if you can find something that would work just as well or better.

Tip # 5 Be thankful for your child’s strong will! That’s right. Your child might not be easy to parent, but having a strong sense of what you want and the tenacity that goes with it can be a remarkable personality trait. Your strong-willed child is more likely to be a leader among her peers and to not give into pressure from her friends.

 Strong-willed kids are a special gift! Parenting them offers different challenges, it’s true, but the rewards are great. Go grab your strong-willed child and give her a hug.

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