My 7 and half year old son came up with 2 brand new requests today - 1. I want that bag (my friend has it)
2. Tomorrow I want to go with my swimming friends to Wonderla
To both these requests, I said NO
Here are the reasons I personally value saying an occasional "No" to facilitate the parenting process -
1. The kid need to realize that "No" is as legitimate in life as "Yes" is.
2. In saying "No", you could communicate or reinforce family / personal values to the kid (value for money, earning rewards...).
3. Saying No to something helps the child appreciate the value other things in their life.
4. It creates an opportunity to dialogue on mutual expectations for the next time.
Go ahead - dont judge yourself and other parents who say NO
“Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.” ~Josh Billings
