How to Say NO Successfully, Choose Your Battles & Ignore the Rest

On-Demand Class · Emotions & Behavior

Parenting doesn't need to be negative, loud or difficult! Saying NO to your child is one of the simplest forms of discipline, but it isn’t always the easiest or most productive.

Class Description

In this class we will explore how we can say NO and set boundaries with our kids in a way that feels right to us, still respects the child, and doesn’t lead to more battles and friction in your home. Children are possibility-seekers, and like little scientists they will explore ways around a barrier with relentless perseverance until they have their desire met. And that is exactly as it should be! But it is our job to decide what is okay and what is not – and there are never any cut and dry answers for this. But the way we go about saying NO and enforcing our boundaries will have a huge impact not only on how our kids respond, but also on the quality and outcomes of connections in our home. Furthermore, it can be hard to know what to do with our kids’ reactions to our NO so we don’t end up shaming, blaming, criticizing... and feeling guilty. And for this we can use a very simple, but powerful, tool called "ignoring," where we choose our battles and ignore the rest.

Class Materials

I recommend that you have paper and pen at hands so you can make notes when I ask you to pause the video and do an activity

Your Instructor

Mette Theilmann

Please allow me to introduce myself: I am Mette Theilmann, originally from Denmark, and an experienced and qualified life coach who specialises in Parent Coaching. I am married to an Irishman and I have three children aged 20, 22 and 24. In 1996 I started my education in psychology with the aim of studying child psychology. I was lucky enough to get a job in my second year as an assistant to the child psychology of The International School of Brussels. Here I quickly realised that it was the parents that I wanted to support. So, I finished my degree within Social Psychology and added Parenting Coaching. After having 3 children of my own I personally experienced that parenting was not as easy as I thought, and so I wanted to spend my time and energy helping other parents on the road to a calmer and more harmonious home. In 2002 my family and I moved to China where I worked for the International Clinic of Shanghai supporting parents with stress and anger issues. I also volunteered at Friends of Hope where we supported expat families with ASD children to integrate into China. In 2006 we moved to England and I went on to set up ParentingSuccess Coaching in 2009 to follow my passion for helping people with their parenting skills. I sold PS in 2014 to set up my current company Predictable Parenting. With 3 children and 18 years’ experience supporting parents, I fully understand all the challenges faced by parents today. Parents need a time-out from their busy lives to think about what they really want for their family, the changes they need to make and more importantly support with how to get there. I love seeing the benefits that parents get from developing their parenting style and the positive impact this has on their families. Bishopsgate School Egham “Mette is a wonderful presenter who clearly knows her stuff. She connects with the audience in a natural, easy going way and draws from experience gained in raising her own children. Her workshops were clearly structured, providing valuable and insightful information on raising a resilient child. I would fully recommend Mette's services and plan to use her company to run more workshops in the future.”

Degrees and Certifications

City and Guild “Working with Parents” Qualified Parent Group Leader with Webster Stratton Family, Parent & Youth Impact Coach with The Coaching Academy of London. Parent Group Leader Training programme with Family Links Hons Social Psychology Practitioner of NLP coaching

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