You Can't Make Me (But I Can Be Persuaded), Revised and Updated Edition

Strategies for Bringing Out the Best in Your Strong-Willed Child

By: Cynthia Tobias

Narrated by: Cynthia Tobias

Length: 3 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Turn conflict into cooperation....

Many parents suspect their strong-willed child is deliberately trying to drive them crazy. Difficult to discipline and seemingly impossible to motivate, these children present unique, exhausting, and often-frustrating challenges to the those who love them.

But strong will is not a negative trait. These same children have firm convictions, high spirits, a sense of adventure - all the makings of a great adult. In this book you'll discover how to channel that passion and determination in positive ways as you build a healthy relationship. Through insights gained from strong-willed people of all ages, you'll...

• Better understand how their minds really work.
• Discover positive ways to motivate your strong-willed child.
• Learn how to share control without compromising parental authority.
• Apply key tactics to survive a meltdown.
• Get practical tips for parents who disagree, blended families, and single parents.

Packed with immediately useful strategies to drastically reduce the level of tension in the home (or in the classroom), You Can't Make Me shows how you can start today to build a stronger, more positive relationship with your strong-willed child.

Includes...

• Top Ten Tips for Bringing Out the Best in a Strong-Willed Child of Any Age
• A Strong-Willed Child Emergency Kit

©2012 Cynthia Tobias (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"I love the practical strategies and valuable insights from the hearts and lives of strong-willed kids—including Cynthia herself! You'll definitely want to make this book part of your parenting library." (Dr. Kevin Leman, New York Times best-selling author of Have a New Kid by Friday)

"In You Can't Make Me, Cynthia Tobias provides help and hope for all of us with a strong-willed child of any age. Her extremely practical and time-tested tips will show you how to provide the strong-willed child love balanced with limits, relationship balanced with rules, coaching balanced with cheerleading, and discipleship balanced with discipline. This book will be worth its weight in gold to you and your strong-willed child." (Walt Larimore, MD, best-selling author of God's Design for the Highly Healthy Teen and Why A.D.H.D. Doesn't Mean Disaster)

"Parenting was never designed to be easy, and parenting a strong-willed child can be daunting. Cynthia Tobias has written a book designed to encourage parents to celebrate their children - yes, even if they are strong willed! I love how she has provided tried and true strategies that will bring out the best in our children. Her inclusion of stories from parents who are "in the trenches" serves to remind us that successful parenting is possible for all of us. I love Cynthia's wisdom, but her heart for children made me love this book!" (Janet Parshall, nationally syndicated talk-show host)

A must for all parents!

Parents and those who works with children and even strong willed adults should read this book and take to heart the recommendations given.

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I’ve heard the author speak as a guest on a Christian radio station. I enjoyed listening to her then as I enjoyed listening to her read her book. It’s very informative and I’m definitely going to listen to it several times. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who grew up as a strong willed child or who is raising one.

Wish this book was available when I was raising my SWC 39 years ago

Wonderful insights into the mind of a SWC. At times I thought the reader was talking directly to situations we had experienced raising our strong willed daughter. I am a grandparent now and hoping some of strategies and insight learned from reading this book will help me do better by my 5 year old grandson who is also as strong willed as our daughter. Thank you Cynthia Tobias. Great read !

Wonderful helpful Bible based advice

Loved it! Wonderful helpful Bible based advice for relationships with strong-willed children. I'm looking forward to putting the advice to use in my parenting.

Excellent strategies and examples.

Easy to listen to. Practical ways to implement strategies. Great Scriptural support. Listening to it again!

Most helpful book ever!

I have to say that this book is a godsend! I have struggled with my now 11 year old on a near daily basis since she was a beautiful little toddler! EVERYTHING has been a battle with her. when she was smaller we tried time-out. She would NOT stay! Hours on in and she would NEVER give up! I kid you not! We could not figure out what the problem was. We were doing everything we saw in the self help books and on Nanny 911, to no avail. She refused to do her homework and just was in direct defiance of absolutely everything. if I said the sky was blue, she'd say, "No it isn't. It's actually gray." There was no winning with her. I was always left more exhausted than it was worth, because the outcome was never positive.
Enter this audiobook. Praise God! Thank you Jesus for this!!! Only about an hour into it I felt like A weight was lifting! I just finished it and I feel like I just met my daughter for the first time! This book described her the letter! I have only used two of the techniques Listed in the book so far ( mainly "ok") and Wow! It has changed everything! You HAVE to give them that choice. I just can't get over how pleasant my child has been since incorporating these! She's even gone to bed AND awakened on time- NO FIGHTS! That alone is a miracle!
If you have a strong-willed child, PLEASE do yourself a favor and get this book as fast as you can! I have looked high and low and this is the one! Real-world solutions!
Thank you, Cindy Ulrich Tobias for writing f this book! It is saving families, no doubt about it! God bless you!

Thought provoking and encouraging

The author's home-spun wisdom runs contrary to a lot of modern theory but it offers new hope to those of us for whom the more popular approaches are not working.

Tantrum filled 3 year old now compliant?!?!?!!!

My son is three and I was at a point where I just was saddened because I was doing the best I knew and he was terribly defiant. After a couple hours of listening to this book I have adjusted the way I request things, talk to him, and adjusted my composure. It has been 5 days and I am completely blessed to have read this book. He has had very few melt downs and I have not yelled or gotten frustrated. There are still discipline challenges but life is already improved greatly. We are both receiving the control our strong personalities desire. I'm very thankful! I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone for we all know many strong willed people and we will grow so much by understanding them.

Practical and Insightful!

This book was very practical with many strategies we were able to implement immediately. The author is strong-willed herself and has a grownup strong-willed son, so her advice comes from a few different aspects. This will definitely be a reference book for us. I plan on purchasing the print version and keeping it handy till my children are grown. I’m certain I’ll reference it many times!

More

There could have been more practical ways to work with the SWC. More specific examples of what to do with them.