Defining the Strong-Willed Child

All children can display willful and defiant behavior on occasion, but with strong-willed children, challenging authority and exhibiting a propensity for stubbornness and persistent inflexibility is an everyday occurrence. As a parent, becoming aware of your child's strong-willed personality will help you understand that they are not necessarily acting out on purpose. In fact, strong-willed children are predisposed to being more self-determined, independent, and tenacious than other more compliant children.


What does it mean to be strong-willed?

A combination of nature and nurture, the strong-willed child has a set of characteristics that sets them apart from other children. Consider the following traits when determining if your little one is of the strong-willed persuasion:

• Persistence. Strong-willed children are goal-directed and it can be very difficult to give up on a project or get them to try something a different way. They have a tendency to have rigid mindsets. This can be advantageous in some respects, but is also a disadvantage in others.

• Inflexibility. All children perform better and are more stable when they have structure in their lives, but strong-willed children have a particular aversion to upset schedules and seem to be thrown off-course when things change.

• High mental or physical energy. Many strong-willed children exhibit extreme creativity and often their minds are running non-stop. This characteristic can be manifest in physical activities such as sport-related activities, dancing, or acting. Alternatively, many strong-willed children exert their energy in mental activities such as drawing, building, or using their imaginations to the extreme.

• Determination. While most children demonstrate determination at certain times, this defining trait is the hallmark of a strong-willed child. This display of unrelenting resolve is what can make a strong-willed child a world-changer. But it is also part of what makes them so difficult to parent.

Are you pushed to your limit? Do you wonder if other parents have as much trouble with their children? Do you sometimes consider that there may be something amiss with your child? Chances are you are dealing with the wonderful world of the willful child. Although there is not much you can do to change it, there is a lot you can do to channel it. Strong-willed children are the ones who mature into adults who have an extra dose of grit and tenacity to effectively make a positive mark on, not only their immediate surroundings, but the entire world.