“Please don’t do that, Mom.” When Abby’s son said those words to her, it shocked her for a second, but then she took it as an opportunity to point out a characteristic in him that she wanted to see grow: assertiveness and boundary setting. Usually, hearing “no” from your child is a bad thing, like, “No, I don’t want to eat my vegetables.” But what about when our kids say no to us in order to stand up for themselves? If we’re not safe people for them to speak their minds to, who will be? Part of our role as parents is to give our children the tools they need to say no with confidence and without guilt.
Helping kids learn how to set boundaries can be hard for moms when they struggle with it themselves, and many women do. So in this episode, not only do we talk about teaching kids, we also talk about adult-style boundary setting. If you’re a people pleaser, you’re in good company with Megan, Chloe, Susan, and Abby.
While a lot of our conversation is about helping kids in everyday situations, we also address how saying no in safe scenarios, like asking a classmate not to play with your hair, can help teach kids how to say no in dangerous ones. Teaching consent to kids can begin when they’re young in age-friendly ways, and we hope these ideas help you start that conversation with your kids.
Articles We Mentioned
Does Your Child Know How to Say No?
4 Simple Rules for Consent for Kids from 3 to 23
How to Not be a Pushover in 5 Kid-Friendly Steps
7 Ways to Say No With Grace
Printables We Think You’ll Like
How have you helped your kids learn how to set boundaries? Do you struggle with boundaries?
