If you've ever found yourself in a scenario with your children in which their whining and crying is coming at you from every direction and you're spitting a million noes at them, you know that's typically an inefficient way of communicating. It's hard to say "no" to our kids, but sometimes we simply have to.
For example, instead of screaming, "No," if your child is asking for candy before lunch, offer them a choice to have one piece now or a few pieces after they eat all of their meal. Or if your child is throwing Legos across the room at your head, tell them that's not how to play, it's making you sad that they're hitting you, and offer to help them build something or show them how to play correctly.
This definitely takes more time, but using one of these positive alternatives to no (tweaked to fit your situation appropriately) will help you and your children to communicate much more efficiently overall.
Scroll through for 25 ways to say no without actually using that dreaded one-syllable word.