Dealing with a Strong Willed Child – Part 1
Tiger girl posing for the picture
Strong Willed Children are commonly defined by having the following characteristics. They are known to be demanding, insistent, stubborn , difficult and even rebellious.
Handling a strong willed child can be a real challenge for parents. They are typically highly creative and intelligent and you really need to “burn many brain cells” trying to come up with more ingenious ideas to be able to reason with them so that they see your point of view.
Monkey boy is and overachiever while Doggie boy is a struggling learner. Tiger girl ,on the other hand, is totally different from her brothers. She has been even more challenging to deal with an is an extremely strong willed child as compared to them.
Tiger girl, being the 3rd born and a girl, is growing up faster then her brothers. I put it down to the fact that girls mature faster then boys and having two older brothers gives her ample opportunity to build up her social skills.
Having older siblings can be good but unfortunately this also means that she picks up both the good and bad from them. ( If only there is a fairy wand to wish away all the bad habits that she picked up from them it would certainly be neat!!)
Tiger girl has always had a clear idea of what she wants and goes all out to get it. She is very vocal and expressive which makes it easier for her to be understood.
She is not one to budge once she has made her decision. She may scream, shout and cry if she doesn’t get her way and it is really trying to reason with this three year old.
She can be nice as an angel one moment and in a split second turn into a shrieking hyena once she finds that the odds in the particular situation is not to her favour.
Tiger girl can kick up a fuss and complain like a drama queen for at least an hour or so if I let her be. It can be really frustrating dealing with her and trying not to give in to her wimps and fancies when you are pressed for time or have other impending issues to handle.
In the next part of this post I will be sharing with you the different techniques I have used to rein in this strong willed child of mine while at the same time giving her the space to develop at her own pace.
Post in this series
– Parenting with Less Stress ( An Introduction)
– Teaching Kids about coping with the fear of Failure (Part 1)
– Teaching Kids about coping with the fear of Failure (Part 2)
– Encouraging a Struggling Learner (Part 1)
– Encouraging a Struggling Learner (Part 2)
-Dealing with a Strong Willed Child (Part 1)
– Dealing with a Strong Willed Child( Part 2)
April 25, 2014 @ 1:19 pm
My kids are grown now but I had two strong-willed girls that were definitely challenging. They now have girls who are equally strong-willed. Can’t wait to see your tips so I can share them with my daughters! Stopping by fro Friendship Friday party.
April 25, 2014 @ 4:30 pm
My younger boy is a strong willed child too. Besides being strong willed, he is also hot tempered. It is very challenging dealing with him.
April 25, 2014 @ 10:52 pm
My daughter is strong willed child too. Sometimes I give up, but I stand on my ground most of the times. I can’t wait for some tips! I need one, Sis:)
April 26, 2014 @ 12:55 am
My three year old boy is sooo strong willed. He makes me crazy sometimes. He is also the middle child. So maybe he’s already getting the middle child syndrome? I have two boys and then a baby girl, as well. She’s only a year, but I can’t wait to see what she will be like and how her personality will mesh with her brothers. Right now we all just adore her and she is our princess. . . we could be setting ourselves up for trouble haha!
April 26, 2014 @ 6:47 am
I’m looking forward for the next part and read how to deal with kids with strong will. 🙂
April 26, 2014 @ 7:26 am
This is a nice series that you’re writing. My youngest daughter is somehow similar to your Tiger Lily. I agree that the youngest one gets to learn both the good and bad from older siblings which is why I always remind the older ones to be good models to the younger ones. It is really not that easy as just saying it.
April 28, 2014 @ 12:37 am
My little one is quite a strong will girl too ! Can’t wait to read part 2. Thanks for sharing , Dominique!
April 28, 2014 @ 7:46 am
I’ll wait for your next post on this. I think I can used those tips with our little Matthew.
April 28, 2014 @ 11:08 am
Tell me all your tips! We have a strong willed one, too. I keep thinking that in the end there’s a lot of positives to this quality – it’s just super inconvenient in a preschooler!
April 28, 2014 @ 7:31 pm
I think Tiger Girl is adorable! With the right guidance, let’s hope she’ll learn what is right from wrong and will make you and your husband proud parents!