Have you ever raised a Strong Wiled Child? Parenting a strong-willed child seems difficult and tiresome. Many parents often found difficulties in managing the behavior of their child.
Strong-Willed Child behavior is hard to understand, but once you trigger all the traits, it will be easy for you to manage your child.
Who is A Strong-Willed Child?
A strong-willed child is defiant, stubborn and difficult in behavior.
These children often have difficulties related to disruptive behavior disorders such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
They are smart, loyal, confident, sharp-minded, creative thinkers and know every possible way to achieve their goals.
Not only this they have extraordinary qualities that an average child does not have.
The only place they lack is communicating skills and confidence while talking to others as they find difficulty in sharing their emotions.
You may think your child is annoying you, but in actual maybe they are not able to speak or communicate effectively.
Parents need to know their kid’s strong personality traits to manage their behavior efficiently.
What are Strong Willed Child Characteristics?
- Throw Tantrums
- Argue Forever
- Refuse to do things they do not want to do
- Make their own rules
- They try to get what they think they deserve
- Self Motivated
- Move at their own pace
- Ignore warnings they do not want to hear
For instance, If you ask your child to follow certain things, and they are not in the mood to follow. They would refuse to do that work.
Parenting with these children is challenging, exhausting and sometimes hard to handle.
In this article, we will share some tips and trick for parents to tackle with the strong-willed child.
Parenting Strong-Willed Children
1. Always Praise Good Behaviour
The defiant child’s behavior is hard to understand.
As they often struggle with confidence and find difficulty in sharing their feelings and emotions.
Good parents must pay attention and understand their behavior and praise their child for their good behavior.
Give them more attention when they behave well as it will encourage them to change their behavior.
- Avoid comparing them to others and neglecting them.
- Appreciate their good behavior.
- Do not point out their small misbehaviors instead ignore it.
- Try to help them to learn self-discipline.
2. Understand Your Child Behaviour
Every child needs love, dedication, and devotion. In the case of the strong-willed child, they also need utmost attention.
It is very tough to understand their emotions and his or her behavior but needs utmost attention.
Your child might be acting upon for a reason and demands attention.
You can easily be able to handle them when you know their situation and understand them.
- Help your child understand his or her choice.
- See the situation from their point of view.
- Listen to him or figure out the reason why he is opposing you.
- Help them to develop the powerful communication skills.
- Do not neglect them for their annoying behavior instead talk to them calmly.
- Validate your child’s feeling by saying that you can understand them.
- You can either take them to their grandparents or on vacation.
You can read about Positive Parenting Tips to Improve Child Behaviour
3. Keep Calm at Challenging Situations
The parents need to get calm in stressful situations to deal with a stubborn child.
It is never so easy to deal with a defiant child and needs lots of patience and positivity to deal with them.
It is not a good option to yell or scream at a child who is throwing a tantrum.
Instead, lower your voice and step away from the situation if necessary.
- Learn to stay positive or calm in many situations.
- Instead of shouting at them, it’s better to let them understand them about their bad behavior.
- Take your time out to control your anger and step out of the situation if necessary.
- Tell their mistakes in a friendly manner and make them realize their behavior.
4. Communicate Effectively
Every parent must understand while dealing with a stubborn child is that they lack good communication skills.
They are not able to express their emotions and what exactly they feel and the reason for their misbehavior.
It is better to not to point out their mistakes directly or compare them with others.
- You need to move your child in a positive direction. These kids are challenging, self-motivated and can achieve many goals with the right direction and dedication.
- Motivate or praise them for their right behavior.
- Respect them for their achievements and self-determined tasks.
- A defiant kid wants love, respect, and attention that encourage them to accept the righteous behavior.
- Appreciate them for their intelligence and problem skills.
- Keep them talking and taught some communication skills.
5. Develop Your Kids Interests
The best way to keep your child busy, boosting their self-confidence is by building their interests.
Give them plenty of time to play outdoors and explore things on daily.
It helps to improve their balance, control, and coordination.
Give them paper or brush, a sport to play, let them make tree houses, travel with them or let them explore many other opportunities.
- Tell them your childhood stories to help them develop a passion.
- Let them learn new things every day.
- Play with them sports to find out their interests.
- Let them master new skills and develop hobbies.
- If possible travel, to let them explore many different places.
- Let them know their importance and how much they are important to you.
6. Give Your Kid a Sense of Control
It is essential to know your child behavior to guide and nurture your child.
Parents need to understand that every child has a unique personality that remains consistent throughout the life.
You can observe their behavior by spending your most of the time with them.
The other way you can understand their behavior is by observing them sleep, eat or play.
When your child shows aggressive tendencies, instead of yelling at them try to understand the reason.
- Quality time is necessary to know the behavior of kids.
- Please speak to your children to gain understanding and information about them.
- Set those expectations and limits that are acceptable to your child.
- Teach them to embrace positiveness, empathy, and gratitude.
- Let your kids embrace the unique personality that helps them to grow and nurture.
7. Set Limits with the Strong-Willed Child
Setting limits is a great way to teach your strong-willed child discipline and to understand their behavior.
The defiant kids are difficult, challenging, stubborn, and hell raising.
Understanding your kid’s behavior help you to teach them discipline techniques and help them change their irascible behavior.
- They need to teach the new ways to deal with the things.
- Stubborn kids require a lot of guidance and discipline to change their behavior in early ages.
- Parents need to find more positive ways to deal with these children.
- Do not be too harsh and strict with them.
- Do not frustrate them with so many rules.
- Set those limits which they can follow without any obligation.
8. Focus on Positive Traits and Deal with them Positively
Instead of thinking on how difficult is to handle your child or parent your child, focus on the positive things.
As per Research, The power of positive thoughts helps to raise an extraordinary child with a set of belief and values.
Instead of thinking how difficult is to parent your child think how durable it will impact the world for good.
Do not underestimate the strong skills and capabilities of your kid, instead help them to enhance their caliber.
- Use positive language with your kid.
- Try to enhance your kid’s qualities and skills.
- Please work with your child temperament in spite of going against them.
- Give them tough tasks so that they can enhance their problem-solving skills.
- Encourage them to do good with others instead of being a menace.
9. Motivate Your Child Good Behaviour with Rewards
Rewarding Positive behavior encourages the child to repeat such habits in the future.
Parents can find creative ways to motivate the desired behavior with rewards.
It will also make them feel that you love them and care for them.
A reward can be a small token of love as you can pat on their back for good work, or give them a useful thing or their best toy.
Do not give them expensive stuff or unhealthy things to eat rather than develop their interests in new hobbies and sports.
The reward can be something like:
- Make them feel special by planning a picnic or cook their favorite meal.
- Go on an outing with kids or visit some new place.
- Play their favorite sport with them as it will make them feel good.
- Spend quality time with your kid as it will make them feel wanted.
Steps To Deal With Strong-Willed Child
- Do not neglect their good behavior.
- Motivate them in creative ways when they do excellent work and accomplish any goal.
10. Create Goals Together
Parents need to take extra care when taking care of the strong-willed child as these kids have inbuilt capabilities and skills.
No matter they are stubborn, hard to handle and quite challenging, despite that they are stable in almost every sphere.
They have extra skill and caliber and are efficient to do many tasks.
Parents need to enhance their capabilities and abilities to do good work.
Observe their behavior by spending most of the time with them.
Try to know their feelings and emotions, understand their behavior.
Help them to understand their behavior and find new ways with them to tackle their stubborn behavior.
- Set challenges for them and help them to achieve the goals.
- Help your child in their power struggles as they can achieve higher goals.
- Please give them a chart and help them to acknowledge their excellent and wrong behavior.
- Allow them to master their skills and learn from their mistakes.
- Teach them the value of hard work.
Tips for Parenting a Strong-Willed Child
The strong-willed kids are unique individuals that have different characteristic and excellent skills.
Parenting them can be challenging, exhausting and sometimes make you feel angry.
They follow their own rules and do not tend to listen or bend in front of others.
They get impatient easily, are bossy, make their own opinion, do not listen to others and learn things on their own.
In these case what parents need to do is understand their behavior, try to bring changes in them with love and care.
Instead of yelling and comparing them to others it’s better to deal with them with positivity.
Every parent must understand that what their kids lack is active communication skills.
Understand their emotions and the way they feel and think about things.
Give them Respect and Empathy
Be more open to communication and rather than fighting talk to them calmly. When you show respect, they will understand and respect you back.
Parents must listen to their child, what they have to say and understand their feelings and emotions. It will help you to know why he or she is acting this way.
Let your child make the Decisions
If your kid wants to wear an outfit for their own choice, don’t force them with your choice. If the costume does not suit the occasion, then tell them in a calm voice.
Postpone the Disciplining
Do not set the number of restrictions on your kids, instead set those rules that your kids understand entirely.
Open Channels of Communication
As explained earlier stubborn kids are not good at expressing their feelings. In spite of giving them punishments, it’s better to talk to them entirely about the things. It will help them to express their feelings be it fear, anger or hurt more openly.
Watch Your Tone
Shouting at your kid may worsen the situations as it will create fight situations. It better to take a deep breath, avoid anger and talk to them in a calm and firm voice.
Stick to Sleep Routines
Please make sure your kid follow a sleep schedule and give them adequate rest. The lack of sleep may cause a child cranky and irritated.
Things to Remember
When it comes to parenting a stubborn kid, the parents must keep certain things in mind.
- Your child needs love, attention, and praise.
- A child needs specific goals to achieve and enhance their skills.
- He or she needs a safe choice and a protected environment.
- Children need boundaries, structure, and consistency.
- He or she needs a positive environment and safety.
- Your child needs more attention and love from you.
- He or she needs to teach the value of discipline and truth.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a High Spirited Child?
A high spirited child is also known as a Strong-Willed Child.
Strong Willed kids are courageous and spirited.
These types of kids are entirely different from an average child.
The spirited kids learn things all by themselves instead of learning from others.
They are sensitive, short-tempered, throw tantrums, Bossy and impatient.
They set their own rules and follow them, and go after what the want in their life.
2. What Defines a strong willed Child?
Strong Willed are sharp-minded, quick at everything, bossy, and think that they are always right.
They have a powerful and firm belief, and instead of following others they make their way.
It is difficult to convenience strong willed that they are wrong.
They make their own rules and do not need any ones approval to do certain things.
3. What is the Difference Between Strong-Willed and Stubborn?
Being stubborn and strong-willed are not the same things.
A strong willed knows what they want and what they are doing.
Not only this they have a strong foundation, values and can achieve their goals with their excellent qualities.
A stubborn is immature, short-sighted, and have self-defeating behavior.
One thing is common in Strong-Willed and Stubborn is that they refuse to accept the command of their parents.