Teenagers need to learn how to say ‘NO”

Sixteen- year old Uwase met a 30- year -old business man from down town. He started hanging out near her high school at the end of each day so he could walk her home. She was intrigue. This guy was older with lots of money and he seemed to be a nice guy. At the start it was all fun and it was flattering until he started to ask her out for an evening date. Somehow, she says, she never expected him to date her or encourage her to drink alcohol, she wasnt ready for it. The main question is did Uwase tell this greedy man NO? Of course not. Instead she told him that ‘let me go and consult my mother about it” She had no viable ability to say no, eventually led to such advances. The ‘NO’ word is small, easy to spell and it’s shorter than YES. But still it’s a word many teenagers don’t understand. Yet the word “No” builds a base for self discipline, self respect for others, integrity, perseverance and a host of other character traits that lead to a happy productive life. In spite of its importance, however, more and more teenagers have a hard time saying it. Saying no isn’t just tough love or treating someone harshly, in fact, saying no in the wrong way or in the wrong situation is just as bad as not saying it enough. Its important to know when and how to use the word ‘NO’. One of the reasons why many teenagers cannot utter out a courageous NO is that they do not yet possess a strong sense of self determination. Saying no is a discipline of the courageous. But like most new things, it will feel odd at first, usually bringing a vague sense of being ill at ease. Ends