PARENTING September 15, 2003 Issue

When parents have to say, 'No'

By Jean Burgdorff

How hard it is for parents to have to say a firm but loving no to a reasonable request—especially when they can't easily explain that the decision was guided by spiritual intuition.

My husband passed away when our teenage sons were in high school. I felt a heavy responsibility to fill parenting roles as both father and mother.

One of the first of many tests soon came. Peter had just gotten his driver's license, and had a small car of his own. One day he announced that his Boy Scout troop was planning a canoe trip and that he had volunteered to be one of the drivers. It was also necessary to transport several canoes on the tops of the cars, and his car obviously couldn't safely handle even one canoe.

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