Raising a strong willed child is not easy. Strong willed children tend to try to control situations so that they always get their way. They melt down or act out when we ask them to do something. They negotiate and resist even the littlest things. And in response, we tend to try HARDER to make them see or perspective or get them do what we want them to do… which only leads to more power struggles and negativity. But the reason we don’t see long-term results is that we don’t usually consider or address the cause of strong-willed kids’ behavior. When we understand why kids are being so “stubborn,” and when we give them what they need (not what they want!), that’s when behavior and moods change.