Parenting Pointers: Saying Yes

Try saying yes more often. This doesn't mean being permissive and letting your kids run all over the house, but it means choosing your battles and phrasing things positively. If it's not going to hurt you, them, or anyone else, try saying yes even if sometimes you'd say no. If they want something, like a cookie, then tell them yes, after dinner. They'll hear yes, and they'll have a signal for when it's really ok to do.

We're making a point to try this with our toddler. We let her do a lot, and we don't have a lot of rules. She knows she needs to ask first before she does special things, but she has a lot of freedom for a toddler. It's worked well for us so far. She hardly has any meltdowns, and when we go to stores and she sees something she wants, she doesn't fight or whine when she doesn't get it. It also worked well for me in the classroom - I didn't crack down hard on a lot of things, and yet my classroom wasn't any noisier than the teachers who were strict disciplinarians. Obviously it won't work with everyone, but give it a shot if you can!