"No!"

Behind this single word from your child or teen is often their mind working overtime. Parents often assume that their child is just being difficult when they resist doing things. This could mean kids refusing to discuss issues that bother them, to meet with friends, to be included in a group photo, or to attend an after-school or weekend activity. Certainly very frustrating for the parent.

At the same time, your child has big feelings about these "being encouraged, told" situations as well. Their consequent "pushbacks" are, surprisingly, often not due to the usual suspects, such as stubbornness, defiance, or a desire to create drama. Rather, the underlying culprit is often overthinking.

What you see as "no big deal" is very different from what your child experiences due to their........

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