They cry more. They sleep less. Their first, second and third words are:  “no”, “no” and “no” again. Yup, they’re the subgroup of little people known as ‘strong-willed kids’. After 25 years, I can spot them a mile away: They won’t sit on their moms’ laps while we chat and the first thing they spot in my exam room (even though I purposely placed it high on the wall) is the faucet. Once they spot it, they’re on. They need a drink, then another and another. And they won’t quit asking until they’re ready to float away.

I have a secret: I love strong-willed kids. I know that they drive their moms crazy, but I have the luxury of loving them. After all, I only have to stay in the same room with them 20 or 30 minutes at a time. But here’s why I find them fabulous: they’re going somewhere. These are the kids that are going to make a difference in the world one day. The trick for me is to make sure that their moms don’t kill them before they get there. So here are a few ways any mom can learn to make it:

Tip # 1.