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Can’t say ‘no’ to your kids? Two surefire strategies to say ‘no’ without guilt and resentment.
A mom shared that she had been looking forward to some quiet time. Unfortunately, her teen (who didn’t yet have a license) came to her and asked, wheedled, whined, for a ride to a last-minute meet-up with friends. Mom felt cornered. How to say ‘no’ without coming off as angry and resentful seemed impossible.
She also felt enormous pressure from without. Other parents typically dropped everything to accommodate their kids, and she didn’t believe this was healthy for anyone. They would even offer to drive out of their way to pick up her child. The pressure was on, as well as anticipating the unspoken judgment of those parents.
This is all too real and common. Do your children take advantage of your love and commitment to them? Are you secretly resentful? Do you wish you had a life? Do you feel alone in your beliefs?
There is a way through this. There are two strategies that blend together — preparation and setting boundaries.
In this situation, mom not only wants down time, she’s counting on it. The problem is that she didn’t tell anyone, so of course it’s a surprise to her kids who know her as the ‘on-call’ mom. Now the stage is set for anger and resentment on both sides. She doesn’t know how to say no and be…
