You Need To Give Your Children Consistency

Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of consistency in parenting, particularly in how parents respond to their children's repeated requests.

Abstract

The article "You Need To Give Your Children Consistency" discusses the challenges and importance of maintaining a consistent approach when dealing with children's persistent questions and requests. It highlights that children may repeatedly ask for the same thing, even after being told no, as part of their development and understanding of boundaries. The author shares personal experiences, such as denying a child candy multiple times and adhering to screen time rules on weekends, to illustrate the necessity of being firm and persistent. The article also touches on the learning curve for both parents and children, as children gradually comprehend the meaning of 'no' and 'yes', and the consequences of inconsistent parenting, such as children taking advantage of parents' lack of consistency.

Opinions

Consistency in parenting is crucial for children to understand limits and expectations.
Persistence is key when children repeatedly ask for something after being told no.
Established rules, such as screen time limits, should be upheld, with exceptions made only for valid reasons like schoolwork.
Children's ability to understand and respect parental decisions improves with age.
Inconsistency in parenting can lead to children exploiting the lack of firm boundaries.
Parents should acknowledge and learn from their mistakes in consistency to improve their parenting approach.

Children could ask you for the same thing a hundred times. Even if you have said no a hundred times.

You will get used to the moment you’re children grow up that they ask you tons of questions and things they want to do or they want to eat. It is a thing you have to deal with the moment you become a parent. That is part of parenting. And I love it very much.

Sometimes it is enough when they are asking me the same thing over and over again. So, you need to be persistent towards your children. How do you do that? It is not always easy.

When my daughter asks me for candy, but she got a one-half an hour before, then the answer will be no. I know she will ask me again, so I have to be aware of that and say no again, and again, and again. When you say no every time, she will understand that you can’t have another one every time.

Every weekend, we have screen time for the youngest. So, she is allowed to watch movies or do anything else online. You have to stick with this rule unless she needs to do something for school. This is an exception then.

No is no and yes is yes. They have to know that. But for children, it is difficult sometimes to understand that. The older they get, the more they understand. That is part of raising children.

You as a parent need to let them understand that.

Your children take advantage of you when you are not consistent. They know exactly when you are not paying attention and just say something. I have been there many times in raising my daughters.

One day, one of my daughters asked me a cookie. I said yes, but half an hour before, I said she got her last one. When she finished her cookie, she told me with a calm voice: “Mam, you just said I may not eat another one. And now you’re giving me just another one.”. Then the alarm bells rang. I said: “You're right. Well, you’re just a lucky girl then.”. I closed the conversation and she happily played with her toys again.

This was just a lesson I learned a few years ago.