Discipline: Yes and No

When you say "yes"... to your child as often as possible and "no" only when necessary, you:

1. automatically make it easy for your child to behave and difficult to misbehave.
2. allow your child to experience freedom to succeed
3. limit your "noes" and "don'ts" so that when you need them, they will mean something
4. discount all the small mistakes that are so exhausting to discipline
5. give your child freedom to be a child with reasonable limits
6. boost your child's self-esteem

Tip: Instead of saying "No, you can't have a cookie now," say "Yes, you can have a cookie after dinner." Your child will get the idea that many more things are possible than impossible.
"You can do this and this and this," not "You can't do that."