Using the word, “not,”rather than the word, “no,” such as “Not now” or “Not this
time” prompts fewer negative feelings than the hearing the absoluteness of “No!”
I received the following e-mail, which reminded me how creative and independent even very young people can be.
“You reminded my of a time when my son, Adam, was two. Every thing was No, No, No! My husband had just had it with him and said, ‘Adam, don’t you say No to me again; I’ve had enough, young man.’ Adam looked at him, full of steam and said, ‘NO’!
“I couldn’t help but start laughing. You are right. ‘Not’ doesn’t have the same effect as ‘No.'”
Thanks for bringing that back to mind.
(Note: I wonder who modeled “No” in the first place!)
More information on this topic is available at http://marvinmarshall.com.
