Saying No is a Positive

Saying no is a positive. Parents saying no to your child is a positive. When saying no you are setting limits and boundaries. It is important for children to have limits and boundaries. Most children also want structure in their life. Structure is needed in a child’s life. It creates expectations for the child to feel safe and know what is accepted. Children thrive in an environment with expectations.

Children need to have an environment that feels safe to ask for anything. Saying no helps the child deal with disappointment. We don’t automatically know how to deal with disappointments. We need to be taught. Saying no to children is a way to help teach your child to deal with disappointments. When you say no, if possible, give a short explanation of no. For example, no you cannot get a toy today because we are leaving on vacation tomorrow. It gives the child an understanding of the reason behind the no. The child may not fully comprehend the reason. Saying no by giving an explanation builds a foundation for the child to deal with disappointments.

When the children have disappointments, acknowledge their disappointment. Talk about it but don’t change your answer to yes. Children learn how far to take it to get what they want. If you keep changing your nos to yeses. Your children will learn that if they push you far enough, they will get what they want. If your child pitches a fit, he/she will continue to do it until they get what they want. It is teaching the child to act in a negative fashion to get what they want.

Negative behavior usually has a reason. Many times, children learn to use negative behavior for a purpose. The child may have figured out that if they act out to get what they want. They act out to get what they want by acting out. Saying no has benefits. Saying no sets limits and boundaries. Especially now the children are out of school and home for the summer saying no is a positive.