"Because I Said So" is Lazy Parenting. Try These 3 Powerful Alternatives.
The phrase that every parent has uttered at least once: “Because I said so.” It’s the verbal equivalent of pulling rank, the nuclear option of parental authority, the go-to response when patience runs thin and explanations feel impossible. For generations, parents have relied on this phrase as a quick fix for compliance, believing that authority-based commands are necessary for discipline and safety. But here’s what the research reveals: “Because I said so” isn’t just an outdated parenting relic – it’s actually counterproductive to the very goals it claims to achieve. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reports that authoritarian parenting approaches, including the use of unexplained commands, correlate with decreased cooperation, reduced emotional intelligence, and poorer long-term compliance in children. What we’ve long considered “strong parenting” is actually undermining the very skills we hope to develop in our children. ...