If you have a v smart but extremely strong willed and often stubborn kid (going to be teen soon), what parenting tips can you share to keep some discipline around? Not the usual textbook tips such as positive reinforcement etc , but something from personal experience that worked well? The issues faced are the common ones, but prolonged – eg. incessant gadget use, daily lax in time management etc.
I can speak from experience as I have 15 years old, strong-willed son with strong opinions. The way I deal with it is to first give enough space for him to do what he thinks is right. Very often, at that age, they are testing boundaries. After a few days of doing this, I then have a very casual conversation which gets him to reflect.. how was I productive, what did I achieve, what did I miss etc… I then lead into a conversation and share my personal perspective on a balanced approach. This is not a one-off, but an ongoing strategy. In the long run, I do believe that kids who are allowed to be and not controlled, shape out fine… I have my older son as a testimony to that😀 – shared by a friend Vani