Ways to say no to a child

Take Control

Before shaping the way you discipline kids, parents should put an end to giving in to the child or completely ignoring them when they misbehave. Take control and learn other methods of saying no.

Pause and take a breath

Before you can taste the negativity of the word NO rolling off your tongue, take a millisecond of a breather and re-evaluate the scenario in your mind. Think about how are you going to react and the correct words to pair up with it. Are you going to go with the ignore method or the sayang approach?

Creative alternatives

Instead of using the N-O word, use words such as "Dirty!" before your son tries to touch a stray animal or "Dangerous!" when your son runs at the side of the road.

Balance the negativity

NO is strongly related with negative associations. Your child might not only think that you disapproving of their actions, but disapproving of them as a kid. "I do not like what you did, but I still love you\" is a better alternative for the child to understand what he did was wrong.

Mastering “the look”

A picture\'s worth a thousand words. A mother with a look of disapproval is easily worth ten thousand. Parents can correct their children\'s behaviour simply by giving \"the look\" and not uttering a word. A mixture of anger, disapproval and strictness conjured to a facial expression. Takes a little practice but works like magic.

Acknowledging their wants

Do not start with an immediate NO, instead, acknowledge their wants and go for "I know you like chocolates, but its not good for you".

Make a Wish List

Got the princess of tantrums or master of \"I want this!!\" on your hands? The next time you walk past the dreaded toys section and hear your kid demanding for a toy, simply whip out your iPad and create a note of the specific item your child wants. Your child would feel that he has a grasp of that toy and thinks he/she will eventually attain it, as it is embedded on your magical wishlist. Its better than saying NO!

Is for & Not for

Explain the reason for your child’s bad behaviour. Especially when it comes to toddlers, explain in simple term why they shouldn’t act the way they did. "Food is for eating not throwing" or "Toys is for playing not biting".

Written by

Wafa Marican

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