SAY WHAT YOU MEAN...AND MEAN WHAT YOU SAY

"One more minute," the child asks. "One more time," they beg, "before it's time to go, can I do it just one more time? Please?".

If your child is begging for one more turn or one more minute or one more anything, it's up to you to decide what you want to allow. But when you decide what that will be, you MUST stick with it. Otherwise, "No" doesn't mean no. Everything becomes negotiable, and we all know THAT isn't true.

Some things are just not negotiable. You would never let your child run out into the street into oncoming traffic. But what if "No" doesn't mean no to them? Do you think they would stop running toward the road if they had learned that "No" was always negotiable? Many things are not life or death situations, but the lesson must be learned regardless of how important the situation is. Let's teach them the right thing to do BEFORE it's a safety issue.

 Say what you mean...and mean what you say.