It might be comforting to know that you don’t have to be able to provide a good reason for saying no to your kids.
Our kids are not our supervisors. If something doesn’t feel right to you, that’s a good enough reason to say no. The best parents have the courage to say no when their intuition warns them about a situation even if they cannot put the reason into words.
Fifteen-year-old Will used to be successful at getting his way. Every time his dad said no, he demanded an explanation for Dad’s refusal. Dad would give in whenever he could not put his reason into words. All this came to a screeching halt the day Dad learned to say, “If you don’t figure this out by the time you have kids your age, come and see me.”
Will would try to argue, but Dad only repeated, “So, what did I say?” Arguing no longer paid off for Will.
