No.
The word is a parent’s tool – ideally one of love whether expressed firmly or gently.
We say it to protect: “No! That car almost hit you! Always look both ways.”
To curb unhealthy impulses: “No, we are not eating Hershey’s Kisses for breakfast.”
To prod: “No, you can’t sleep in. Gotta get dressed for school.”
To blunt minor rebellions: “No. You’re not wearing jammies to school. No, not your Batman costume either.”
To frame expectations: “No. Not a new Jeep Wrangler for your school car. We’re thinking 10-year-old Camry.”
And to set boundaries: “What, a four-hour road trip driven by a 16-year-old we’ve never met? No.”
Of course, children sometimes defy or ignore “no.” And as they stretch from tween to teen, they learn to avoid disclosures they suspect would prompt a “no.”
Then, inevitably, they cross into independence, and …
We parents lose standing to say “no.” We may think it, screaming without speaking. But our authority is gone, our guidance not always sought. Our best, our only option is to watch and cheer:
Yes, yes and yes!
Oh, that word, such a two-way street declaration: warning from parents, defiance from kids!