No – sometimes you have to be able to say no. There are many instances where for my kids health or safety I say no.
No – to junk food all the time because it clogs them up. They stop going to the toilet.
No – to walking across the road by themselves because they are too young to appreciate the dangers.
To think that a child should only have positive affirmations does not give the boundaries that they require for healthy development. If they can’t handle no they will fail to build the resilience that they will need to survive life’s difficulties.
Struggle is a part of life. To not struggle would mean that a child will never be able to overcome and ultimately become stronger. Of course no parent wants to see their child suffer and no sane parent would cause unneccesary suffering for their child but we all know that suffering is a part of life that we all must deal with.
Saying no in a loving environment provides a framework for a child to begin to learn life’s boundaries and enable them to build loving relationships.