Strong willed 17 month old

[Lockdownbaby2021]

My little boy is so different to any other babies I have met. Ever since he was born he has been so strong mentally and physically (i blame this on a difficult assisted birth).
but I am really struggling. I am so scared to take him out anywhere.
he is incredibly independent and assertive and SO clever. He doesn’t want to hold my hand walking, he wants to run off, play with things he’s not allowed to play with and if I try stop him he will kick and scream and hit me.
today, he ran up to another family in the park, grabbed another little girls skips and got full handfuls and shoved them all in his mouth. When we took him away from the situation he was kicking and screaming.
has anyone else had a baby like this? Does it get better? Will he be a more chilled ‘child’? Or is this the start of things to come? 😩

disclaimer- I adore him and when he’s good, he’s amazing! I just want to bottle the good times up! I am so lucky to have him.
But sometimes I do think other parents with ‘chilled’ babies have it so easy 😭

How do you parent him?
Discipline starts at home. What do you do when he hits and kicks you. What do you do when he starts running on the road or grabs someone else's food.

i just tell him not to do what he’s doing and explain why in a calm way. Or I take him away from the situation and explain why later. Doesn’t stop him though he just laughs or has a meltdown.

My daughter is similar and also very strong willed. It sound like you're doing a great job. Saying no, taking them away from the situation and a very basic explanation why is all you can do at this age.

I still use the pushchair a lot with my daughter - if she won't hold hands or isn't listening when we are out then she goes in the pushchair. She kicks and screams about going in but she soon calms down once she's in. Try and avoid situations that always lead to tantrums.

Remember this is really normal toddler behaviour - it does get better. I also (sometimes) quite like having a strong willed, independent child. Imagine what amazing strong people they will grow up to be!

Interesting comment from the above poster asking how you parent him - even the perfect parent can't stop a strong willed toddler from tantrumming when they don't get their way! And there's only so much disciplining you can do with a 17 month old.