Do you ever have people in your life that start every sentence with “No”? Carrying on a conversation is not very fun when it constantly goes something like this, “Isn’t it a beautiful day?” “No, I liked fall days better.” Maybe it sounds like this, “Don’t you just love to hear the kids in church? It brings life and excitement,” “No, really, kids in church are a major distraction.” Some people just seem to have a very negative focus.
It is one thing if they are an adult, but a four year has an even harder time figuring out how to change this. Is it just a stage or what? There is a four year old in our house (that shall remain un-named) who begins almost every sentence with “No.” It can be frustrating to say the least. Sometimes it is in defiance, but other times it is just in disagreement. Frustrating!!!!!!!!
My wife and I are always interested in bettering our parenting skills. Dawn reads all kinds of books on it, and we like to hear input from the experience of others. Some friends were over the other day, and one of them brought a really good truth that helped me a lot. He said, “I do not think he is disagreeing. I think he is just telling you that what you said is not what he is thinking.”
The last few days I have been toying with this idea. O, there are times when this independent boy is defying whatever is put before him! However, there are many times in which he really is just saying essentially, “No, I was thinking this…”
It is amazing that with a little understanding, the frustration can be lifted. When it comes to our family relationships, there is great blessing in focusing on what really is instead of just reacting to what we perceive.
Bryan
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