"Don't Tell Me No; I Tell You No!": Facilitating Self-Control in Infants and Toddlers (Parenting and Controling Child Behavior‪)‬

A mom with her 20-month-old daughter, Julie, was waiting for relatives to pick them up at the airport. Julie played with the luggage cart, pushing it all over the place. The mom asked Julie to stop doing that. Julie said, "No." The mom said, "Don't tell me no; I tell you no!" "Don't tell me no; I tell you no!" is a classic example of a frustrated mother reprimanding her toddler. Certainly, other parents and even teachers of young children experience and/or understand this sentiment as they pursue the slow process of teaching infants and toddlers self-control and self-regulation. This article will illuminate how we can use our knowledge about infants' and toddlers' growth and development to better facilitate their evolving abilities toward self-control. Early experiences with the physical and social environment have a tremendous impact on a child's social, emotional, and cognitive development. In guiding young children, what is appropriate and effective differs from child to child. As is frequently noted, children do not come with a manual. As professionals, however, we do have several good indicators of how to understand and care for infants and toddlers in group care.