The Gift of the Challenging Child

Believe it or not, the day may come when your "challenging child's" behavior pays off. Never the type to accept rules or limits easily, always questioning motives and wanting to know "why" things have to be a certain way, what they are actually seeking is a new, better, or different way to do something.

When this gift is used to its highest potential, breakthroughs can happen in technology, science, the arts, medicine or law. The strategy is for adults not to personalize the behavior but rather figure out what the child's goal is (other than to have his own way.) Pioneers may have had some degree of this trait. It takes a strong will to persevere against the odds. This is a perfectly good tool when your child blends it with restraint and clarity.