Talking Points:
- “Vitamin N” is necessary for your kids to live a healthy life. It is simply the word “no.” Most kids have a vitamin N deficiency – they aren’t told no often enough!
- Oftentimes children who never hear “no” become demanding and ungrateful for what they are given. Kids need to hear “no”.
- The only way to fix this vitamin N deficiency that so many kids have is to start saying no to your kids. They’ll learn that they obtain things through hard work and effort, not by whining and throwing tantrums.
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
This content is adapted from the PragerU YouTube channel.
You’ve probably heard of things like vitamin D, vitamin C, and even vitamin E. These are all vitamins that you need to be healthy. There’s another vitamin out there your kids need in order to function properly. It’s called “vitamin N.”
What Is Vitamin N?
“Vitamin N” is necessary for your kids to live a healthy life. It is simply the word “no.” Most kids have a vitamin N deficiency – they aren’t told no often enough! This is bringing about consequences that everyone has to pay.
Not Saying No Can Hurt Your Kids
A lot of parents just give their kids everything they ask for because more than anything they want their child to have a happy life. Oftentimes children who never hear “no” become demanding and ungrateful for what they are given. These are the effects of over-indulgence. Children need to be told “no.” Refusing to ever deny your children anything will affect them over the course of their whole lives. By always giving your child everything they could ever want, you are giving them a material standard that they will feel they have to live up to well into adulthood. Over-indulgence is also hurting kids mentally. Teen anxiety and depression has been on the rise. As people become more materialistic, they also become more depressed.
Over-Indulgence Can Become an Inherited Disease
If you continually give your child all they want, they will eventually grow into a self-centered, materialistic adult who will one day have children of their own. When they have kids they will give them everything they want, just like you did for them. This breeds an indulgent culture that focuses on material things and instant gratification.
The only way to fix this vitamin N deficiency that so many kids have is to start saying no to your kids. They’ll learn that they obtain things through hard work and effort, not by whining and throwing tantrums. This will stay with them throughout adulthood and create a generation of hardworking and grateful adults. Don’t deprive your kids of vitamin N!
Discussion Questions:
- Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
- What is your initial reaction to this video? Do you disagree with any of it? What jumped out at you?
- Have you ever met an adult who was over-indulgent and didn’t seem to have ever been told “no?”
- Why do you think it’s so hard to say no to your children?
- Do you think it’s possible to say no too often to your child? Why or why not?
- What are times where you should have told your children no but didn’t? What are some times where you did tell them know and are glad you did?
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
