NO. NO! NO? NO- NOOOOO

No. It means No. No questions, no conversations, just No. My child doesn’t seem to get that, unless she’s the one saying it.

When she hears ‘No’, she hears:

Maybe just one more.
Or Two more
Maybe mum will do her crazy yelling thing if I do it again.
She doesn’t really mean no.
Of course it means do it again.
It’s totally ok to keep pulling the dogs ears.

‘No!’ It means I’ve had enough of saying No, and I’m now yelling it because:

There is an impending accident.
There is a close call.
Her drink is about to go flying off the table, again.
She’s poking the baby in the eye.
She’s smearing bright red mashed raspberries on the white bedspread.
She upended the talcum powder bottle on the floor.

‘No?’ It means I’m questioning her own defiant ‘No’ back at me. This is an example of the old Mexican stand-off — but who will break first? Who has the most patience and will to win at this exact moment.

She’s stubborn, but I’ve had more practice.