Abstract: Observational data concerning maternal child control strategies and children’s compliance were collected from samples of 42 three-year-olds and their mothers in Beijing. The results indicated that the frequency of maternal direct command was the highest one; Indirect command was the second; negatives control was very seldom. The rate of children’s compliance to maternal control was 54.6%. Passive noncompliance was the most popular in children’s noncompliance forms. Mother’s low control strategies were positively associated with committed compliance; High control strategies were positively associated with unskillful noncompliance; Intermediate control strategies were positively associated with committed compliance and passive noncompliance. When children were not compliant, mother’s immediately low control strategies could obtain committed compliance and high control strategies could obtain situational compliance

Key words: maternal control strategies, three-year-olds, compliance or noncompliance responses