Sunday Newscape Magazine

I find it a paradox to say that children love the word “no” due to the fact that they are told “no” very often. “No, you cannot have any cookies”. “No, don't pull on mommy's earrings”. “No, don't put the cat in that box!” Toddlers learn what they are allowed to do and what they are not mostly by hearing “no”. This is why I would think that toddlers learn to dislike the word, since they are restricted by it. However, this is also the reason why they say it right back at us once they are able to form the word with their own mouths.

“No” is a simple word to learn. It is one syllable, and has a very straight forward meaning to it. As a toddler, they are only able to learn these easy words before expanding their vocabulary further. Their first word might be “mom” or “dad” for these same reasons, but I assure you that “no” will be among the first on the list as well. The more they hear a word, the more likely they are to repeat it.

Just wait until you hear “No, I don wanna go to bed!” or when they get older, “No, I'm not going to school!” At this point they have learned the power of the word. They have realized that the word “no” is authoritative, and that people who use it are able to tell others what not to do. As humans, we not only long for a restricted authority over ourselves, but for authority over others. By saying “no”, we are in more control of a situation.

The good news is that the word “no” isn't always negative in the sense that you need to put your child in timeout. They may also use the word to say “No, I'm not hurt”, or “No, I'm not doing drugs”. They are able to communicate to us the situation they are in. So should you be worried if your toddler's first word is “no”? NO!

Kelly’s work can be viewed at http://www.helium.com/users/58594