Can I Still Say No With Positive Parenting?
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When it comes to positive parenting, it’s often easy to assume that saying “no” when your child misbehaves is a strict no-go option. However, in many cases, this is an issue that people struggle to wrap their heads around since it’s not always immediately clear what the advice would be in this regard. As such, today, we’re looking at the question: “Can I still say no with positive parenting?” After all, positive parenting shouldn’t have to be a source of confusion, and we hope today’s guide will help clear this up a little.
What is Positive Parenting?
What is positive parenting? Positive or conscious parenting is a unique parenting style that focuses on praising children for good behavior rather than punishing them for bad behavior. Most modern parenting styles rely on a certain level of punishment to dissuade children from misbehaving. However, this can lead to children becoming rebellious and wanting to break the rules in many cases. Instead, positive parenting rewards children for good behaviors, which can incentivize children to behave well going forward.
Naturally, there’s no single approach to parenting that’s necessarily right. However, positive parenting can benefit both the child and the parents, making it a potentially appealing parenting method to consider for your family.
Can I Still Say No to my Child With Positive Parenting?
One factor that puts many people off positive parenting is the concept of “not saying no.” Indeed, the main principle of positive parenting revolves around the idea of encouraging good behaviors rather than scolding incorrect behaviors. Hence, with conscious, positive parenting, it’s often better to focus on praising your child rather than criticizing their behavior.
However, there’s a catch here. While you should reduce your reliance on scolding poor behaviors, that’s not to say you can’t ever scold your child. For example, if they did something dangerous, you’d likely be remiss not to tell them off — both for their safety and the safety of others.
Still, you should primarily encourage them to follow a better route rather than focusing too much on what they did wrong. So, if your child was harsh to their friends, there’s nothing wrong with telling them off for the bad behavior. However, encourage them to apologize and begin showing better behaviors, such as sharing and asking how their friend is. Praise them for doing so, and you’ll hopefully find they’re more inclined to act positively in the future.
