We’ve simply been trained to think that adults need to be in the authority position. One of the main reasons that getting a strong-willed child to do anything starts to look like a political debate is because adults accidentally forget that kids have opinions too. I’ll share some simple–yet effective–techniques to help your strong-willed child to fall asleep without an hour-long argument (because who has time for that at the end of a long day when you’re exhausted!)? In today’s post, I’m going to address one of these top concerns for parents of strong-willed kids: How do I get my kid to just fall asleep without a power struggle? Luckily though, while it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to force him to do what is necessary, he may be able to make the right decision on his own. So, while you can tell your strong-willed child why he needs to do these things, forcing him to do them is likely going to be out of reach. You can force her to sit on the toilet, but there’s absolutely nothing you can do to make her go potty.Īnd you can physically force him into the bed, but he’s only going to close those eyelids when he’s good and ready (and you know he’s got an excellent ability to fight sleep much longer than you can!). Unfortunately though, with a strong-willed kid, you can force the vegetables onto his plate, but he’s only going to put them in his mouth if he thinks it’s a good idea! And sometimes, actually pretty much every time, this will make your child unhappy, but you do it because you know that you have to. Force her to fall asleep because she needs her rest in order to function tomorrow.Īnd you’re right…as a parent, you do have a responsibility to take on the task of telling your child what needs to be done when absolutely necessary.Force her to go to the bathroom even if she swears she doesn’t have to, and.I know, I know…you’re thinking that as the parent, you have to force your child to do things she doesn’t want to do sometimes. Because of this quality, the more you try to force him to do something, the more he will fight back.Īnd how successful do you think this will be at bedtime…when both she and you are exhausted and it’s already 30 minutes past her bedtime? Your child seeks the right answer to everything and finds the answer that he thinks is the most appropriate for him. You see, your child has an incredible ability to question everything, and to argue and negotiate most of the commands that you give to him on a daily basis. If your goal is to force your #swc to do anything, your goal is probably going to fail. I’ll tell you right now that if your goal is to force your strong-willed child to do any of these things, your goal is probably going to fail. While it’s challenging for any parent to get their child to eat, sleep and even go to the bathroom, getting a strong-willed child to do any of these things seems like a trek up Mount Everest…a lofty goal that you want to achieve but the fear of the journey might discourage you from even starting. How do I get my child to fall asleep (without an hour-long headbutting session in which I finally cave and let him sleep in my bed!)? How do I get my child to eat (without serving her mac & cheese for breakfast, lunch and supper!)? When parents of strong-willed children reach out to me for advice–as a counselor and on my blog for strong-willed children–there are typically two questions that seem to dominate the conversation…
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