I was sitting in my fold-up travel chair, innocently flipping through a magazine prior to the start of my son’s ball game when I inadvertently overheard one of my son’s teammates ask his mother for a sports drink. The mom said NO. The child went on to state that he wanted the sports drink now. The mom, under her breath, muttered to no one in particular, “Why don’t my kids listen to me when I say ‘NO’?” Then she proceeded to purchase the sports drink and deliver it to her child.

I mean no disrespect to the mom. However, I do have the answer to her question. The reason her children don’t listen when she says NO is because they know that they will get their way if they persist.

I do have some unsolicited advice to share. When a child asks for something and you say NO, and then the child continues to ask despite hearing NO, simply restate NO in a firm, confident tone (do not yell – there’s no need to). If the child continues to persist, engage your temporary selective hearing loss. Mom’s don’t have to hear the remainder of a conversation that ended at the second NO. Eventually, as you are standing your ground – ignoring the child – the child will give up and move on. Eventually, if you are consistent, you will only need to say NO once, and the child will move on, because he or she will understand that NO actually does mean NO.

Good luck!