Strong-willed children, who may also be called difficult or spirited children, can be a challenge to parent. There's no clear reason why some children are strong-willed, but it's probably due to a combination of factors, including genetics, chemical balance and environment, according to the University of Minnesota Extension's Parenting Resources. Being able to identify the characteristics of a strong-willed child is the first step toward successfully parenting one.
Intense
Strong-willed children don't usually roll with the punches. They tend to react to situations and environments intensely, exhibiting extreme signals of happiness and sadness when confronted with different circumstances and environments.
Persistent
Once a strong-willed child begins a task, he will persist until the task is completed. Strong-willed children are very goal-oriented, and it can be incredibly difficult to dissuade them from a particular task or encourage them to try a different approach to a task that is giving them trouble. Convincing your strong-willed child to change his mind about something can be difficult.
Sensitive
Strong-willed children may have strong reactions to smells, noises, lights and other environmental factors that other people might not even notice. Even the slightest change in their environment, such as opening a window, can have a big impact on sensitive strong-willed children. In the same way, strong-willed children can be easily distracted by events happening around them.
Rigid
Strong-willed children like things to be consistent and don't adapt well when their environment or schedule changes. It can also be difficult for strong-willed children to transition from one activity to another one because they become so focused on whatever they are doing.
Energetic
Not all strong-willed children exhibit high-energy behavior, but many do. They may express their energy in running, climbing and jumping, or in building, drawing and making small projects.
