I got some very positive feedback this week on way of handling a common parent-child interaction. So thought I’d share it.

General case

• Parent: “You need to ——–.”
• Child: “I don’t want to ——–.”
• Parent: “I didn’t tell you to want to ——–. I told you to ——–.”

Example

• Parent: “You need to do your homework.”
• Child: “I don’t want to do my homework.”
• Parent: “I didn’t tell you to want to do your homework. I told you to do your homework.”