Have you taught your children the power of no?

Are you thinking that you have the power when you say no to them, and enjoy it?

It is my opinion that the sooner a child learns that the word ‘no’ is an invitation to think, the better off they will be.

Let me give you an example from many years ago. I went to a sales management seminar and the person leading the seminar stated that when some says ‘no’ to your proposal it usually doesn’t mean ‘no not ever’. It may mean that there was something that happened prior to your asking that has not endeared you to them.

But and it is a big but, the no that they’ve said to you does not mean that they will never buy-in to your offer. Maybe you need to re-group, in other words you need to stop and ask some very pertinent questions as to what they meant by saying ‘no’.

I believe that this is important for all of our children to know – a skill that will benefit them in later years. You may be saying that this type of a conversation was not what you signed up for when you became a parent. I know where you are coming from, and I want to make you aware of that there is a very good reason why them asking for an explanation may be the best thing that they can learn as a child. It is because by learning how to ask for an explanation it will give them a skill that most people don’t have.

What is this skill?

It is the ability to be resilient in difficult times. It is the ability to have internal courage and not fold when someone says no to them. It is the ability to persevere when the times are tough. It is the ability to be mature enough to ask in a polite way why they are being told no.

Isn’t that the type of child you want in this world?

Isn’t it better for your child to be strong than insecure in this world?

Can you see what a gift you will have given your child?

Isn’t that a better result than to keep propping up your children, or bailing them out of their emotional turmoil’s as they grow into adulthood?