No, You Can't: What to Say Instead of "Because I Said So"

With so much uncertainty around how to be safe with coronavirus looming, people are making different decisions about how to act and react.

You may have to cancel or reschedule plans or tell your child "no" when they want to do certain things for the sake of social distancing. Is your child feeling frustrated with the choices you are making?

Sometimes as parents we have to make difficult decisions about what we feel comfortable allowing our kids to do or not to do.

When other children's parents are making decisions that are different from our own, our kids might complain and try to exhaustively argue why they should still be allowed to go to the park because their friends are there. 

Instead of getting into a back and forth with your child, or using that phrase that usually frustrates kids even more, "because I said so," here are 3 easy steps to a more effective response:

✅ Explain with simple facts why you made your decision

✅ Shift your child's attention to the future - assure them that as soon as you can you will make sure they will be able to do the thing they want to do, and you won't forget! (note that by saying future you don't have to commit to a specific time)

✅ Give them a choice over what activity they can do at home, try to be a little creative and help them come up with a new activity!