No. It’s a complete sentence.

In the past week, I have had two beautifully brilliant friends say to me, “ ‘No’ is a complete sentence” (shout out to Shirley and Krista for keeping it real). Man, they are so correct. Wow. The exact words I needed to hear at the exact right time. Think about it, when we tell someone “no”, we automatically feel like we have to have a reason behind it, it’s a trauma response, fear of being reprimanded. I’m not talking about if you had a deadline at work and you didn’t finish it so when your boss asks, you just say “no”(obviously if you wanna keep your job you need a good reason). I’m referring to when your friend invites you over for a “The Bachelor” premier viewing and you have no desire to go. I’m learning that my “no” doesnt have to be followed with a “I would but _______”. I can just simply say “No”, because unless you are my parents (shout out to the OGs), or my spouse (and even then its questionable jk kinda), then i don’t owe you any reason. It will take a while, but the people that really care about me will understand. We also need to be reminding our kids of this. I can’t tell you how crazy it makes me when I tell my kids “No” and they keep on and on and on. I understand that kids need explanations because they need to be well informed and be taught things of course. Like when I say “No, we can’t cross the street here because it’s not safe, and a car could be coming” it’s a teaching moment. However, when I say “No” to them wanting you to drive across town to get them a $5 caffeinated Starbucks drink... “NO” is a complete sentence. They don’t need an explanation. I can use that same tactic to know when it is necessary for me to tell anyone else a simple “no”, and so can you!