The reality, however, is that I’ve never set a boundary for a child and had them respond, “Great, I can’t wait to follow it!” Shifting my expectations around their response has helped me feel better prepared for how to respond to them. When I set a boundary, I expect the child to be curious about it—to wonder if they can depend on me to hold it. They’re so good at asking (through behavior), “What should I expect from you when I do/say . . . ?” When my goal moved from obedience to curiosity, my internal response softened. I was no longer mad at the tiny human in front of me for being curious
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