Stop the drama before it starts by never saying “NO.” My 12 year old asked if she could have a boyfriend. I said “Of course you can, BUT he can’t call you, you can’t call him, he can’t come over here, you can’t go to his house, no note writing, no hugging at school, and of course, no sex.” She said “forget it.” Yeah, I win!!!! Ding Ding Ding –LOL – High Five- Fist pump.
Become a “BUT” expert. Let the decision to terminate those ridiculous requests come from them.
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Kids are very ingenious. They will find that one “but” you left out. They also have their own language. So, you may call it a date, they may say we are ” just hanging out.” At that point, do you go back and redefine your buts? It is the trial of semantics.
JR
If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck.
Don’t get caught in the “their own language” trap! I’m the mommy, they had better learn MY language.