How many times a day can I say "no"? How many different ways can I say "no"? How many times a day can I say "no" in all the many different ways you can say "no"???
?????????
It's a lot, I'm coming to find out.
No, you cannot play with cotton balls. No, you cannot jump on the couch. No, you aren't allowed to drink four Kool-Aid juice packs back-to-back. No, you need to stop letting the dog lick you in mouth. No, you can't climb up there. No, we're not watching Nick Jr. anymore. No, you can't eat that. No, don't play with that. No, don't stick that in there. No, stop crying. No, I said "no". NO! NO! NO!
I mean, seriously - I'm not a negative person. I'm a happy, upbeat, optimistic kind of gal. But when I spend half my day saying "no" over and over again, I feel beat down. I feel like I'm nagging. Like, maybe I should just let her find out the hard way some things for herself.
Okay, you can play with those scissors but when you cut your hair or finger off, don't come crying to me. (Note: I'd never do that, but you catch my drift)
I'm trying to find alternatives to the word "no" but it's hard. There's nothing really as direct and commanding as those two little letters.
(Note: Just as I was typing this, Sidney was jumping on the couch and hurt her leg. I've only told her to stop doing that about 20,340 times this morning)
I want the words "no" to mean something, to have some real power behind them. But I feel like they're losing their importance to her. I need to find a new word, a new phrase to stop her in her tracks and let her know I mean business. How do you stop your kids from doing things they shouldn't be doing?
Do you ever feel like you're a "no" person when you want to be a "yes" person?
