Kids are more about impulse and curiosity than control. They regularly do things they aren't supposed to, and parents constantly find themselves saying "no", "don't", or "stop it" with little change in behaviour. Although a child may understand the meaning of "no", it is more likely to elicit feelings of frustration and turn your child's attention and focus on what you don't want.

Give your child choices tied to consequences; start with the positive choice and its consequence. Save "no" for when you really need to get their attention. To build a child's self-worth, it takes nine "positives" to undo one negative act or word. While we teach our children how to behave, we also need to praise them for things done well and tell them they're precious "just because".