If every time there is a no, when is there a yes? What can your child do instead of can not do? In the childhood story “No David” by, David Shannon, David experiences hearing no very often. The author David Shannon recreated his childhood memories of how often his mother would say “ No David” to him. David was not told what he can do or what was okay for him to do. I’m sure some of us parents can relate with David when we reflect on our childhood. If we are always saying no to our children, they will be unsure when we use the word yes.

Power of Yes

We need to share with our children the yes. It’s important to focus on what behavior, choice, and words are okay along with what is not. Children are always looking for boundaries. Letting your child know what he/she can and cannot do is letting them know where the boundary line is. Saying yes is giving your child the assurance that what they want will eventually happen for them, though it might not take place right away. In the story “No David” https://youtu.be/u0jeWwduJGY by David Shannon, the choices that David made were not wrong but were done in the wrong place. Hearing the word No constantly will eventually leave your child feeling hopeless. This can also have an effect on his/her self-esteem later in life. Your child can start to have self-doubts about making the choices that are ‘good enough’ or will be accepted by others. If you are having a lot of the “No David” moments in parenting, try to put Yes first. State what your child can do or allowed to. Don’t let your child discover the Yes after the no.