Do you remember a few years ago there was a rash of child psychologists telling parents not to say no
to their children? Maybe there still is, but I’m past the stage of life where finding
optimal child-rearing techniques is an urgent matter; I probably wouldn’t
notice.
Anyway, it seems to me the rationale was
something along the lines of “No” being an abstraction that is not aligned with
the need of young children to explore their world and to develop their sense of
autonomy and initiative.
Still, I remember finding the word moderately useful, so I’ve always wondered how voluntarily
abandoning the use of it worked out for the parents and their kids. My guess is
probably not well.