Raising a strong-willed child will challenge you in a number of ways. However, the first thing you should learn is that a raising your spirited child is not necessarily a bad or difficult child. Spirited children are just wired differently. Once you have this at the back of your mind, raising your spirited child should be relatively easy. You just observe the child, create a child-raising plan and modify the plan as you go along. With this strategy in place, you will definitely succeed. Below are some things you should know if you want to make a success of raising your strong-willed child.
Positive Energy
If your child is determined and persistent, these are wonderful qualities. Now, your role as a smart parent is to bring out the best in your child by properly harnessing these qualities. For instance, instead of describing your child as stubborn or self-cantered, it makes more sense to describe the child as an enterprising person. This way, you focus on the positive aspects of the child’s positive energy and it to train a great future leader.
Curiosity
Most spirited children are full of curiosity. You ask them not to do something and they insist on finding out why they should not do that exact thing. Now, if they are not satisfied with your explanation, they will do exactly what you told them not to do. The good news is that you can put this positive curiosity to good use. Do not tell your curious child; “curiosity killed the cat”. This is a negative expression and you should not apply anything negative to the child you love. The smart approach is to tell the child that curiosity is not necessarily a bad thing if you use it the right way.
Patience
Raising a spirited child takes tons of patience so you should always wear your “patient parent hat” when you are relating with your determined child. Remember that parenting is a marathon and not a sprint. Be ready to advice, correct, guide and mentor your child. This is the only way to bring out the best in him or her.
Empathy
Now, we get to this very important point. Empathy is vital if you want to train a child the right way. Remember that you were once a child yourself and you probably acted the same way your child is acting now. Once you have this at the back of your mind, you will find it easier to cope with all the adventures and pranks your child is likely to play on you.
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