Evan McDaniel > Evan's Quotes

“Toddlers test limits in order to be reassured that nothing has changed and that their world—including their parents and the rules they impose—can be relied upon. They test, we reassure, they relax, and the cycle repeats ad nauseam until that toddler finally gets shipped off to Siberia or enters kindergarten.”
― Jessica Lahey, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed

“tweens and teens present a variant on the toddler’s cycle of testing. They test their curfew, we reassure them that it’s still ten o’clock, and they relax. They test our resolve regarding boy-girl sleepovers, we reassure them that no, we still don’t allow it, and they relax. They test our standards for their behavior, we reassure them that we still expect them to be kind and respectful toward us, and they relax. And the cycle repeats ad nauseam until the teenager gets kicked out of the house or starts college.”
― Jessica Lahey, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed