Parenting a Strong-Willed Child: Research Says This is the Best Approach

Parenting a strong-willed child is full of ups and downs. These children are outspoken, prone to power struggles and even more likely to have meltdowns. At the same time, they’re born leaders, dynamic, and a tremendous source of pride for their parents. Here you will find the key to raising strong-willed children successfully without breaking their spirit.

Get a free printable with these tips at the bottom of this post.

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I remember the first time my daughter showed me just how strong-willed she is.

She was about two-months-old.

Leading up to this, I had actually thought she was easy-going. I would have even described her as placid.

She barely cried, nursed well and slept relatively well.

Healing from a c-section, I spent most of my intermittent free time reading parenting books. I wanted to be the best mom possible and as such was doing my best to absorb and apply all the information I could.

It was around that time I read that my daughter, who had been nursing almost every hour on the hour, could actually go up to three hours without feeding. The book suggested I slowly delay each feed so that she was more hungry when I did feed her. Then, she would nurse more and be more satiated. And, I would have less time with a baby on me.

Well, I tried what the book said verbatim. The result? My budding strong-willed child was irate. She knew what worked for her and she let me know loud and clear what she wanted. As soon as we went back to the rhythm that worked for her, all was well again.

Related reading: These are the best books for parenting a strong-willed child

It turns out, I’m not just parenting a strong-willed child …

Since that day, teachers have described my now almost seven-year-old as being:

• precocious,
• dynamic,
• a born leader,
• challenging,
• bright,
• outspoken, and
• strong-willed.

But it’s not just my daughter, both my sons are strong-willed too.

Case and point, in preschool my son’s teacher told me, “Your son is so agreeable… until he’s not.”

She explained that she told my son to clean up toys he and his friend had been playing with. When he refused, she to him he had to sit on the class couch until he was ready. She explained that normally this approach works in a matter of minutes. However, my son was a different story. They entered into a standoff. He refused to comply. 30 minutes later, the end of the school day came and he was still on the couch.

The baby, who isn’t even two, seems to be cut from the same cloth. Just one of many examples includes our exchange yesterday.

Me: “Okay, let’s get your shoes!”

Him: “No, shoes! Boots!”

What is a strong-willed child?

You may have a strong-willed child if your child:

• is prone to power struggles,
• will stand up for what he believes in at all costs,
• has a meltdown or gets angry when she doesn’t get her way,
• is a natural leader,
• asks why often,
• has iron-clad determination when he has his heart set on something.

The many challenges of parenting a strong-willed child

Because strong-willed children challenge authority and are fiercely determined, it is impossible to parent them on autopilot. If you’ve tried lecturing, taking privileges away, or put them into timeout again and again, you know how futile it can be. In fact, you may often find yourself in a standoff where he or she will not comply.

The truth is, strong-willed children do not respond well to being forced to do anything. Not only that but researchers state that when a child is forced, she is no longer a moral agent. She is no longer choosing to do right. On top of that, when we try and force a strong-willed child, we are essentially asking her to push aside who she is and accept our instructions at face value.

Though strong-willed children aren’t easy to parent, they are amazing children to raise.

The incredible gift of parenting a strong-willed child

Though parenting a strong-willed child is challenging and dynamic, it is also such a rich experience. Most parents want to raise children who will stand up for what’s right and be successful.

Studies have that strong-willed children are more likely to become great leaders who are willing to do the right thing at all costs. One longitudinal study examined children’s characteristics and circumstances as predictors of occupational success. Researchers followed these children from the age of 12 through to the age of 52. And, they found that children who questioned authority and weren’t obedient were more likely to earn more and be more entrepreneurial than their less spirited counterparts.

Parenting a strong-willed child: how do you successfully without breaking their spirit?

The more research that comes forward on these headstrong children, the more we learn that maintaining their spirit is the key to their lifelong success. The key to parenting a strong-willed child comes down to one crucial thing: trust.

When children feel connected to the adults in charge of them and trust they have the child’s best intentions at heart, they behave their best.

When our children feel like we don’t understand them or are disconnected from them, they’re more likely to act out.

In maintaining a spirited child’s trust, we open them up to understanding and internalizing our values and rules.

So how do we accomplish this?

Positive parenting strategies are key. Below you’ll find some wonderful tips on how to reinforce or re-establish the trust between you and your strong-willed child.

Related reading: How to Discipline a Child: Why Science Says This is the Best Approach

The Best Strategies for Discipling and Parenting a Strong-Willed Child

Start with a ‘Socratic’ approach.

Because we want to work with, not against our strong-willed child’s attributes, research favours a Socratic approach. This means:

• establish the family rules in a collaborative manner,
• answer questions about rules and expectations as they come up,
• checking for understanding in the child.

In doing this, children feel empowered, involved, and respected. Therefore, they are more motivated to listen and more understanding when disciplined.

Make their life predictable.

You can do this by having a well-established routine. Or, simply you can let your child know what the day will look like and what to expect throughout the day. Strong-willed children do not do well when their power is taken away. By having predictability, they feel in control and are less prone to meltdowns. Also, it lessens their cognitive load and makes it easier for them to face other challenges with more ease.

Connect then direct.

When a strong-willed child is engrossed in an activity, her only priority is to see it through. When a parent appreciates what the child is doing and then tells the child what to do, she listens better.

Provide warnings before changing activities or leaving an event.

There are days, or parts of the day, that are less predictable than others. For instance, give your child a two-minute warning before transitioning from one activity to another. This allows him or to feel a greater sense of control.

Related reading: This is How to End Power Struggles With Your Strong-Willed Child

Set clear expectations.

Like having a routine, setting clear expectations allow a child to know how he or she should act, what they should do, and what isn’t acceptable. It also makes discipline much easier too because he or she will understand that they’ve deviated from expectation.

Follow through on what you say and explain why.

Our children need to be able to trust that what we say is what we mean. If they have done wrong, it is important we follow through on discipline. And if plans change, it is important they understand why.

Drop ultimatums.

Ultimatums often provoke power struggles, are a threat, and erode the trust and connection between the strong-willed child and parent.

Label feelings to show you understand even if you don’t agree.

One of the greatest gifts you can give your spirited child is the acknowledgement of how he or she feels. This recognition scaffolds moving forward and creates space to understand the discipline that may follow.

Go with your child when giving a timeout.

With my daughter, this means going into her room with her and hugging her through her big feelings. Then, we problem-solve together. (Find out more about time-ins/ timeouts here.)

For my son, this is a bit different. I bring him into his room and tell him I am available when he needs me. When he’s really upset, he needs his space. When he’s really worked up, he can lash out. So I step aside for some time. Once he is ready for me, we hug and talk it out. Timeouts that isolate the child from the parent do more damage to their relationship than to their challenging behaviour.

Apologize when you parent out of anger.

Yelling, get mad at their crying, or showing other signs of anger can happen to the best of us. Not only does admitting we’ve done wrong model good behaviour, it also re-establishes trust. Yelling is damaging.

 

Conclusion

Parenting a strong-willed child is anything but easy. There is no quick fix. However, by parenting mindfully and maintaining my children’s sense of trust, I can promote their cooperation. Moreover, I can maintain their spirited nature and continue to raise them into strong leaders who can have a positive impact on the world one day.

Your turn – do you have a strong-willed child? I would love to hear about it below.