No!

Recently I have been struggling with why we teaching kids it's wrong to say no. I keep reading and hearing how adults struggle to tell people no. I can't help but think that is because we have been raised from infants on that we shouldn't say the word no. 

I think we have to teach our kids a balance with the word no. If we tell them to come to us they shouldn't say no. If they tell us no then go get them and bring them to you. If you ask your child do you want to take a picture and they say no then we need to respect that. As an adult I don't always want my picture taken. I mentioned to someone recently how George didn't want to take a picture one morning. The person I told this to was horrified that I allowed my child to tell me no. They told me I need to give them a spanking and not ever allow them to say no. REALLY? Why this upset me so much I am not sure. The person who said this it is very normal to hear this insanity from them. 

That encounter really made me think about the word no. I think you can raise a child to tell people no in a respectful way. I think it's important to raise kids to be able to tell people no. They don't like how people are making them feel, they don't want to go some place, or they don't want to eat something because it tastes horrible etc. We are not letting our kids have an opinion and voice which is causing problems as adults. 

It is also important to me that my child can tell someone no in case some nut job was trying to abuse my kid. If I continue to tell him he isn't allowed to tell an adult no he is going to think he can't tell a nut job no. That is not true at all! 

I don't know how to raise a kid at all. But I am trying to do some things different with my child than some of the insanity I have been taught over the years. It has taken me years of watching and learning from people mistakes of how I don't want to do things. Go ahead judge away. I feel children need to be raised to be confident adults who have opinions they can voice.