Handling the Strong Willed Child

Y’all… parenting is hard. So. Very. Hard! The last two weeks have been so challenging for me when dealing with my daughter. She is absolutely amazing! She is also very strong willed, sassy, independent and determined. All of which will get her very far in life I am sure. Today, however… it did not.

It happens to the best of us!

I know I am not the only parent that has this issue. I can’t be, right? I am telling myself I am not because I know I am not. I have seen you momma and dads struggling out in public with the fit over getting the wrong color shirt, or wanting ice cream, not a burger… I have seen the fit when your child did not want to eat but wanted to stick straws up their nose. I have also seen the fit your teenager threw when you took their phone away so they would have a conversation with you. I have also been “that” parent as people stand around and watch me battle a hot headed two year old over wanting to sit behind me in the car.

It happens to us all. We have all been there… and if you haven’t because you’re not a parent yet, HERE IS YOUR WARNING!!!

What do to…

I have read so many books and articles on how to manage children and prevent or divert fits. I really think my daughter is the super child that these do not work on! My mom says she is just like me when I was her age…. I just don’t see it! Here are some of the books I have read on this topic.

1. Dare to Discipline By James Dobson- https://www.amazon.com/New-Dare-Discipline-James-Dobson/dp/1414391358/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548040934&sr=8-1&keywords=dare+to+discipline+by+james+dobson
2. No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind By Daniel Siegel https://www.amazon.com/No-Drama-Discipline-Whole-Brain-Nurture-Developing/dp/034554806X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1548041005&sr=8-3&keywords=parenting+books
3. The Bible. You don’t need a link for this!

The fits of a princess!

She is a princess, so she says but she is not behaving much like one! I think this thought makes her think she can do whatever she wants. This momma is at her wits end with these fits! Let me just tell you some of the most recent fits. If you have dealt with these and overcame them, PLEASE TELL ME HOW!!

1. She wants ice cream…. from Starbucks!
2. She is not allowed to hold my phone- which to her means I took “her” phone away. (I do not let them play with my phone often enough for this to ever be an issue).
3. She wants to sit behind me in the car and not behind the passenger seat.
4. I gave her water, not chocolate almond milk.
5. I ask what she wants for dinner (chicken nuggets or turkey sandwich)… stomps her feet, yells “NO NO MOMMY” at the top of her lungs. I tell her to go to her room… she screams the entire time and stomps her feet more.. OVER WHAT SHE WANTS FOR DINNER!!!
6. She threw a fit while we were out shopping for home improvement items because she didn’t want to walk… after 5 minutes, so she laid down the rest of the time.

Solutions?

Y’all I will tell you, I try time out, I try taking toys away, I try laying down for a nap, and yes, even spank as a last resort.. Y’all can judge me all you want but I do not beat my children. That is not here nor there, but I am out of options. I need some advice! So momma’s and dad’s tell me what has worked best for you! What tips do you have?

Nothing has seemed to have any lasting effect and to make her understand her behavior is not acceptable. This is what I need her to understand. You can tell her something and she just smiles at you like she knows she is the cutest thing in the room! Which she is, but y’all! Where did I go wrong? HELP ME!!!

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