Stubborn Children: How to win them over

The battles with the older of my two girls began when she was a toddler. I've got photos of the tiny thing standing a good distance away from me at the park, arms folded defiantly, eyes glaring as if to say "No way am I doing what you want, lady!" I even have a videotape of her saying indignantly into the camera, "I'm a mommy, too -- of my dollies! I'm in charge now!"
Some kids are just built to butt heads with their parents. Call it stubborn or strong-willed or whatever you like. If you're living with one of these guys, you know that straightforward methods of getting them to follow directions or behave often don't work. They want to be in charge. But, of course, so do you!Instead of resorting to the usual verbal combat (aka yelling or pleading), try my so-called sneaky or judo parenting strategies instead.Being sneaky doesn't have to mean being underhanded or manipulative with your children. Rather, "'sneaky parenting' is actually 'smart parenting,'" explains parenting educator Sharon Silver of Proactive Parenting, in Tucson, AZ, and author of "Stop Reacting and Start Responding". "It means approaching your kids sideways instead of straight on, and using calmness, respect, and creativity to get what you want accomplished."
Read More: http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/04/25/win.stubborn.child/index.html