Here’s the scenario: Your house is full of out of control kids, the stress level is through the roof, and one of your kids asks if he can watch a TV show. You yell “NO” before you even think, and then wonder why on earth you did that! What would be wrong with him watching a show at this time? Absolutely nothing. So you say “Well, I guess you can”. Right? Wrong! You have to make your “no” be “no”, even if you think you answered wrong in the first place. Why? Because if you cave, they kids are going to know that you’re always going to cave, and you’ve just began a losing battle. So how do you stick with your “no”?

Well, wait for a few minutes (or hours) before you explain yourself. When everything is calm, you can help them understand “no” is “no”, and give them ways to deal with that word if it frustrates them.