Do you feel like you constantly say 'no' to your preschooler?
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"No, you have to finish your dinner. I know you'll be hungry later if you don't."
Sometimes it's not even your fault:
"No, you can't play outside because it's raining."
Bummer. How negative. And don't you always feel like the bad guy? Then find a way to turn each 'no' into a 'yes'!
- We have to go to school, but you can absolutely take that toy in the car
- I'm happy to let you play for three more minutes before you sit down to eat!
- Well, it's raining outside, but you can play in the garage with the door open
Here's my challenge to you: Find a way to say 'yes' to your child every day. Your child will feel empowered and so will you.
How did you say 'yes' to your child today?
7 comments:
<3 Awesome idea, as I was reading this I got the chance to put it into practice, too...my preschooler asked for me to put the stool I'm using for my feet at my desk on her chair so she could sit higher...a solution of "I need the stool for my feet buy you can absolutely have something in your chair to help you sit up higher, how about a big book?" worked great! And now she's sitting on the complete works of Shakespeare so we're finally getting some use out of the book, too. ;)
Just a simple "no" does not work at all in my house. If we find a way to make that "no" a yes then we are all happier.
Heather- That's so great! Love how both of you were able to make it work :)
Allie- so true, so true!
I love it. Makes so much sense. This is great.
Great challenge. I love the positive feeling it gives.
Great post. You know the daycare my boys used to go to the staff was not allowed to used the word "no"...they had to phrase negatives in a more positive way like you suggested. At first I thought it was kind of impossible but they did it and I think I started trying to do the same after awhile. It's great thing to keep in mind how phrasing things differently can really make a difference in young children.
I am thankful to you for reminding us of more ways we can say YES first, this takes some creativity at times and liked your idea.
Positive parenting
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