Teaching Children to Say "No"

Politeness is something that we work to teach and instill in children, but this is not synonymous with never saying no. Having good manners doesn’t mean that children shouldn’t have an opinion or shouldn’t advocate for themselves, and we need to teach children how to recognize the difference.

By doing this, we show children that it’s okay to have boundaries, to express what they want and need and to say no. Some ways to start are examining our own behavior and modeling, helping children develop self-awareness and practicing.

This article from the Washington Post examines how we teach children to balance good manners and self-respect and advocacy.