Stubbornness: A Common Parenting Issue

When one becomes a parent, it is often like one is signing a contract that allows for some 21 years of parenting issues. From babyhood to adulthood, there is always some parenting issue that parents have to deal with. However, with the proper know-how, many parenting issues can be successfully circumvented.

Patience is a Virtue

Yes, that is indeed a common saying, but for those who are dealing with the parenting issue of having a stubborn child, it really can be immensely helpful. Say for example, that one is dealing with a child who will never clean their room.

Patience can manifest itself in such a parenting issue by calmly picking up the toys and explaining to the child that there will be no television until the room is clean. The child who refuses is only making things difficult for themselves. Eventually, the child will be tried of disobeying, finding that television is a bit better than having a messy room.

See the World Through Their Eyes

Whether stubbornness in their child is the main parenting issue or not, parents need to see the issue at hand from the perspective of their child in order to come to some sort of resolution. Parents will find that adopting such a perspective comes in handy for children of all ages.

For example, if a parent is dealing with a stubborn child approaching adolescence, one has to take into consideration the changes, both emotionally and physically, that their child is going through. After all, the parents were adolescents once themselves, so being able to remember that time in their own lives can be beneficial when dealing with parenting issues.

No one is more stubborn than a teenager. But can one really blame teenagers for feeling that way? After all, they are just on the cusp of becoming adults, yet they still are legally not able to assert their rights yet. Being stubborn is their way of rebelling against the establishment. Parents, no matter if they are young or older, can identify with this.

The key in dealing with a stubborn child is to let him or her know that what they are doing is wrong, but the parent can understand why the child is acting the way they are. Children respond to parents who have an anecdote of their own about how stubborn they might have been when they were younger. Indeed, patience and perspective are two great ways to get the message across with the common parenting issue of stubbornness.