Creative Child March 2018 | Page 34

special Feature • Meet them half way with empathy. Most strong- willed children are fighting for respect, and be- ing told no over and can be be a blow to their ego. One way to help your child maintain her dignity is by empathy. After providing empathy, they’ll be more open to listen to what you have to say. • Avoid power struggles by establishing routines. Even strong-willed children are the sum of their habits. Forming good habits is an excellent way for strong-willed children to learn the discipline of abiding by rules. Establishing routines and rules also takes a lot of the work out of parenting because you don’t have to explain the logic behind those rules over and over. 33