No means NO

When I said NO the other day. And Charlie didn’t listen. There was immediate action required.

If you are willing to negotiate or let it slide, this is not the word to use. Charlie was playing rough with his sister near the stairs. "No" was meant. And as soon as I saw he wasn’t listening, I immediately followed through, by running and scooping him up and taking him to a safe place. He was in a "red zone" so no teaching could be done, I just set him in a place until he was back in the "green zone" (teachable) and then talked about when I say no, it means something isn't safe and you need to STOP. Then we practiced, then he went back to playing.

You HAVE TO HAVE TO HAVE TO follow through when you say no. If you aren’t going to or don’t need to, try a different word or strategy like redirection.

Lauren Pace, MS | Parenting Coach | Child Behavior Coach | Utah | WA