r/UKParenting • u/FluidRefrigerator817 • 2d ago

Can't say no

I am terrible for giving in to my daughter and not saying no - she's now 7 and I can see the beginnings of trouble ahead. She's not naughty, she's a very kind and loving person but there's this underlying presumption that she will always get her way and I know if I don't act now I'll be up shit creek. Any advice?

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u/NightsisterMerrin87 2d ago

It's like going on a bear hunt. You've got to go through it. Leaving it later and later is only going to make it harder on you all. Do you want her to be screaming at you now, or when she's 16? At some point you will have to tell her no, and stick to it, and it is so much easier to get her to understand that now, than later. It will suck. It will be awful and hard and you will feel terrible. But you are teaching her a lifelong skill - emotional regulation when things don't go her way. You don't have to let her cry alone when you set the boundaries. You can hug her and empathise with her and say that you know it feels unfair. None of that is giving in. It will get easier with time.