Parenting Australia

Early Learning Blog

Moving from parenting an adorable baby to a defiant toddler was a steep learning curve for me. As soon as my children learned the power of saying ‘no’, I had to learn very quickly how to set limits, boundaries, encourage good choices, wait for those choices to be made and if all else failed resort to time out. Then just as I had overcome the ‘no’ objection they learnt how to say ‘ what if'. For example, I would say ‘don’t run out into the road or you will get run over’ and Em would reply ‘but what if I don’t?'. She is eight now and the ‘what if’s’ are still very much a part of our day. Patience is key with the ‘what if’s’, saying ‘because I said so’ doesn’t cut the mustard. Breathe deeply and take a moment to explain, it will save you a lot angst and time in the long run.

Jane King

Mother to Emily 8, Cristian 14

Founder of Parenting Australia

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