HANDLING YOUR CHILD’S REQUESTS

Managing your child’s requests is a huge part of everyday parenting. In this article, we examine the best way to handle this common struggle.

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As a parent, it can feel challenging to respond to your child’s requests. Nobody wants to feel that they are the ‘bad cop’, constantly saying “No, you can’t watch more TV” or “No, don’t put your feet on the couch.” Of course, there are times when this sort of answer is completely necessary, but there are also other times when it can be easy to just fall into a rut of saying ‘no’, simply out of habit. After all, parenting is a tough job and it can be hard to find the patience to respond in a balanced way all the time!

WHY YOUR ANSWER MATTERS

Requests are a natural chance to teach kids about healthy communication - what that looks like and how to handle emotions that arise. This is the case regardless of whether your decision is a yes or a no. It can be good to routinely say something such as “It’s fine to want to do things or have things and you’re always allowed to ask me for them. Sometimes I’ll answer with yes and sometimes I’ll say no. But it’s always okay for you to ask.” This shows them that they don’t have to hide or be ashamed of what they want and you are receptive to their needs.

The second piece of wisdom is to consider that the way you respond towards your little one forms their understanding of communication, manners, respect for another person’s perspective and what it means to compromise. Be mindful of your tone of voice, try not to be reactive or unnecessarily upsetting and aim to be as clear as possible so your child has no room to misunderstand.

HOW TO RESPOND