Very Active 18-Month-Old

Question:

My daughter is a very active 18-month-old who is also strong-willed. My question is: How do you curb dangerous impulses and teach your child to listen to you when you tell her she can’t do something when she is so young? I have spoken to other parents who have a child the same age as my daughter, but they don’t seem to have the same problems because their children are just learning to walk and talk. My daughter has been walking since she was 8 months old and is starting to talk quite well. I don’t want to squash her natural curiosities and zest for life, but I am starting to feel frustrated with her power struggles. Also, we are expecting our second child in a few months and so I am sort of desperate to get some of these issues settled.

I look forward to your answer to my dilemma. Thank you.

Answer:

You obviously have a very intelligent child with “a zest for life,” as you say. I’m so glad you do not want to curb this. I hope you will get a copy of the book, Positive Discipline, and learn more about what is developmentally appropriate. Your child is at the age where she is developing her sense of “autonomy vs. doubt and shame.”