As it seems, unruly children tend to grow up into successful adults.

As a parent, or parent-to-be, everyone dreams of the perfect child who does what they’re told, does well in school, and is an all-around little angel. Reality, however, is something completely different.

Personally, I was every parent’s worst nightmare when I was a child, drawing on walls and throwing a tantrum when I was told to have three more bites of my vegetables. Now, a new study shows that stubborn and slightly more unruly children are much more likely to grow up into successful adults.

Researchers followed kids from as young as 8 through their developmental years and focused on personality traits such as pessimism and stubbornness to try and find links between these personal aspects and how good they are a precursor to success in adulthood. The study followed the children well into their 40s, offering some of the most extensive research that exists on the subject, and what they found was quite surprising.

The adults who earned the highest salaries were the children who did not play by or conform to the rules.

Many of the researchers and some who reported the story at the Times offered some of their own theories as to how these results correlate, and why this phenomenon occurs.

Kids who aren’t willing to do things that they don’t want to do are much less likely to settle for lower and less challenging jobs. These unruly children are also far more competitive and are much more likely to fight for their own interests and develop a strong will when they are older.

Many therapists have stated that strong-willed children are less likely to give into peer pressure, and they will fight for things that they want, no matter what the cost, and no matter how long it takes. If these children are properly supported, motivated and guided in the right ways, they can be one of the most successful adults later in life.

So what does this mean?

So far the research is quite conclusive, the more strong-willed your child is brought up to be, the more successful they are likely to be in the future.

However, this does not take into account various life decisions, personal interests, educational and career paths, and many other mid-life choices, so you cannot say for sure that all unruly children will be successful adults. Yet, it does offer up some interesting insight into how early life can be a precursor to future success and intelligence.

So don’t stress moms and dads, just because your little one has a little more tantrums than the norm could mean that your child is destined for greatness later on in life, so they can repay you for all of the screaming matches!

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