They knew exactly what they were doing!

The older I get, the more I understand my parents. When you're 7, "Maybe later" doesn't really have a lot of meaning. You understand the phrase, but you certainly can't grasp the full meaning or why whatever it is you are asking for can't happen right now. Now that I find myself using the same "Because I said so" and "It's too expensive" to my kids, I'm starting to understand a little bit more about my parents, and I'm realizing that there is way more meaning behind those seemingly empty responses. I've decided that what every new parent needs (besides 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep) is a dictionary of "parenting" words and phrases. There's too many to list here, but these will get you started. Besides, it's fun when you come up with your own! 

Maybe later - Your child asks you to do something like go to the park or do a puzzle together. You have every intention of doing it, but you've just got home from work and can only think about taking your shoes off and sitting down on the couch. Or, you just woke up and stumbled down the stairs and the little one cuts you off before you can get to the coffee. "Maybe later" buys you some time. You haven't said no, so you avoid any negative response from your child or spouse. Keep in mind, though, that "maybe later" translates to "yes" to a child. In child time that means you have 3 minutes until it's "later." 

  Because I said so - This one's great for a few reasons. First, your parents always used it and it frustrated you to no end. Now that you are a card carrying parent, you get to use it to frustrate your kids! Second, because you haven't given any logical reason, there's no logic that can be used to argue against your answer. "Because I said so" ends the discussion. Use this one when you don't want to do something or let your kid do something and you don't want to explain why or you can't come up with a good reason why. The problem with this apparently air-tight comeback is that at about 5 years of age, children realize that this isn't a legitimate response and won't accept it anymore. You have 5 years though! 

Because it's too expensive - How expensive is "too expensive"? That's the beauty of this one. I used it yesterday at the zoo gift shop. My daughter wanted a stuffed animal that cost $15. I can afford a $15 stuffed animal. This is evidenced by the 100 stuffed animals she has in her room. If I have to add to her collection of stuffed animals she won't play with 24 hours after I buy them for her, I'm making her get the $9 stuffed animal. Even at 7, she hasn't realized that $6 more isn't going to make that much of a difference. "Because it's too expensive" covers a wide range of uses. Your daughter wants to see Disney on Ice again, but you shudder at the thought of having to sit through it again, so a response of "I want to, but we can't because it's too expensive" keeps you from being the bad guy. It doesn't, however, keep you from all the tantrums associated with "No." There's a saying that I use from time to time, "The older I get, the smarter my parents get." This definitely applies here. These parenting comebacks are time tested and recommended by 3 out of 4 parents. Give them a try!