Perhaps the most effective strategy you have to influence your child's behavior for the better is to acknowledge and affirm appropriate, desirable behaviors through praise and reward. To the parent of a defiant child, this, like bonding activities, may at first sound counterproductive, even insincere. However, if your child's defiant behavior is getting the best of you, and what you've been trying isn't working, it's time to trust in proven expertise and try what works. And that begins with praise and reward.