You should accept these 7 nos from your child

1. “No, I’m not hungry.”

How much we used to hate cleaning our lunch plate even though we weren’t really hungry. And today? Today we do exactly the same with our own children.

We remember best when we need food and when we don’t. Provided that sweets are not secretly eaten, you can let your child decide for themselves whether, when and how much they want to eat. In this way, it also develops a healthy awareness of its body and its feeling of hunger.

2. “No, I don’t need help eating.”

Of course we cut our kids’ food into small pieces or wait until it’s cool and ready to eat, but there comes a time when they want to – and should – do it all themselves.

If we fail to let our children do it themselves, it may well be that at the age of 8 they will still ask for mum if the pieces of meat are too big. Not a tempting prospect, is it?

3. “No, I can dress myself.”

The same applies to the tiresome topic of getting dressed. First they can’t do it alone, then they don’t want to do it alone. But when we take advantage of the occasions when they want to dress themselves, we give them exactly the help they need.

4. “No, stop tickling me.”

Sometimes there’s a fine line between fun and pain. For example, when being tickled, we should listen carefully – are people still giggling or already protesting? There comes a point when our child loudly and firmly says, “No, stop!” calls, we should stop immediately. In this way, your child learns to trust and not to cross such boundaries.

5. “No, I don’t want to cuddle right now.”

It’s similar with cuddling, kissing, cuddling. Sometimes we just don’t want to be pushed all the time – and sometimes our children feel the same way. We should always take a refusal to cuddle seriously, but never personally.

6. “No, I don’t want to try that.”

“Oh look, you’re big enough to ride the roller coaster now.” That’s all well and good, but if the child doesn’t want to, then they shouldn’t have to. The same applies to playing football, learning to ride and much more. We shouldn’t force anything on our children – at some point they will want to try it for themselves and then it will be much more fun.

7. “No, I’m scared of it.”

We should never deal with our children’s fears as if they are unimportant or silly or as if we don’t need to take them seriously. When we realize what our child is afraid of, we should take it seriously, talk about it and definitely not try to start some kind of exposure therapy – that could only make things worse.

However, if you are often provoked by your little bully, we have valuable tips for you on how to deal with provocations and explain where such behavior in children comes from.