[Desdemona]

There's a word we siblings in my house heard a lot of as kids. "No." I look around and it seems to not being said much.

And it was always the ones who were not told "no" that got into big trouble.

[Gerish]

I have a neighbor who refuses to say "no" to her 7-year-old son because she doesn't want to damage his self-esteem. The result - a child who is 7 and acts like he is is 4, throws a fit when he doesn't get his way and is the most irresponsible brat I have ever met. I swear she purposely sends him over to my house to play with my daughter just so she doesn't have to deal with him! Of course, he doesn't act up when he is at my house because he knows I won't take any of his crap (funny how his mother can't see it).