Parents who have a “determined” child know what it’s like to try to get them to do anything. The yelling. The bargaining. The threats of punishment. The actual punishment. While strong-willed kids grow into strong-willed adults—and that’s ultimately a good thing—raising them is a test. But what if there was one simple hack that made it all a little easier?
In a viral TikTok video, certified parenting coach Rachael Rogers is sharing a simple way you can get your little ones to follow directions. And when she explains it, it actually makes perfect sense.
“Here’s the hack: Instead of making demands or commands for your strong-willed child, telling them what to do and having to yell at them, threaten them, or punish them in order to get them to do that thing, start asking them questions and getting them to critically think about the scenario for themselves,” she says.
@theconsideratemomma Will you try this one out? #parentingwithunderstanding #gentleparenting #respectfulparenting
♬ original sound – The Considerate Momma
Rogers continues, “All children have a basic need for some sense of power and control, but with strong-willed children, this need is even greater. And if you are a strong-willed parent, it’s very likely that you find yourself power struggling with the strong-willed child more often than you’d like. So try this instead.”
She then gives an example: “We’re about to go to Grandma’s and I see a lot of toys on the floor. What do you think could happen with your toys if we leave them out with the dog? Yeah, the dog could chew them up. Are you OK with that? I’m not either, so what should we do about that? Yeah, picking them up is the best idea.”
According to Rachael, you can adapt the scenario as needed. And you know what? It seems like it’ll actually work. BRB, we’re going to be trying this out on all kids, iron-willed or otherwise.
Need some fresh ideas?
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