Nothing tests a parent's patience more than a child in a gift shop during a fun, but long excursion day.

I don't mean never tell your kids, "no". I mean don't avoid it. It's like the parent who told me about a time her son asked if he could have a sleepover that weekend. She hesitated. It had been a long week, the calendar was full, and she already knew the answer was no. But instead of saying it, she said what many of us say: “We’ll see.” Over the next few days, he kept bringing it up. “Did you think about it?” “Can I invite him?” “Have you decided yet?” Each time, she gave...

Parents ask me this a lot. They describe the behavior: 🤯lying 🤯refusal 🤯defiance ...