Teacher shares one thing every parent must teach their kids before they start kindergarten

As generations are moving ahead, the treatment of kids by their parents is getting mellower. In the past, most parents followed authoritarian measures to raise their kids, leading to immense damage and trauma among them in adulthood. Therefore, many parents have now shifted to a much more liberal approach to parenting. However, this style has its own set of drawbacks, too. Emily Perkins, who goes by @emmymckenny on TikTok, shared parenting advice for parents whose children will soon be starting kindergarten.

Perkins, a Kentucky-based kindergarten teacher, said, “A lot of people ask me all the time when they figure out that I’m a kindergarten teacher: What can they do to prepare their kid for kindergarten? What can I do — help them open their snacks? Help them tie their shoes? No, no, no, not that. Tell your kid, ‘No’... Tell them ‘No’ as a complete sentence.” She further added, “Do not teach them that telling them ‘No’ invites them to argue with you, because if I can’t tell your child ‘No’ as an adult, and they don’t respect the ‘No,’ they’re basically unteachable.”

“Let me tell you something: I will open their snacks, I will tie their shoes, I will help them blow their nose, I will teach them how to wash their hands properly,” Perkins said. “I will put the Capri Sun straw in the non-existent hole of these new, 100% fruit juice Capri Suns — whatever they are. Let’s figure out a hole for that, OK, Capri Sun?” she jokingly added. “The term gentle parenting gets thrown around like a reward — ‘Congratulations, you’re a pushover.' You can validate your child’s feelings without being a pushover,” she continued.

“I heard a parent tell me that they don’t tell their child, ‘No’ because it triggers them. If you cannot tell your child, ‘No,’ your child’s teacher probably can’t tell them, ‘No,’ either. And if your child’s teacher can’t tell them, ‘No,’ it’s really hard to help them learn,” she concluded. She constantly emphasized the value of the two-letter word "no" and how saying it did not mean parents were undermining their children's needs. It simply meant that they were teaching them basic manners and how to listen to resistance when needed. She especially asked parents to do so because it was next to impossible for a teacher to make them learn the meaning of the word if parents did not teach it from the beginning.

Viewers gave a mixed response after watching the video. Some supported her statement, while others argued that it would make their children pushovers or weak-willed. @rebeccal2390 commented, “Absolutely not - my job is to raise a strong-willed child, who questions everything. I’m not parenting to make your life easier. I’m parenting to make leaders.” @nachomamas2 contradicted, “I blame daycare, all the years I have worked in one. I have been told we are not allowed to tell them ‘no.’” @mamabearak49 strongly disagreed with Perkins and expressed, “If you tell my child, ‘no’, you better give them a reason why. I always give my child a reason; it’s showing respect. You do not understand ‘gentle parenting.’ I’m glad you’re not my child’s teacher.”

Teachers shape the future of our society, and yet, can sometimes be met with scorn for their methods, but there's no question that teachers deserve a lot of support. Singer Sheryl Crow once highlighted the matter and even stepped up to meet teachers in her high school. Crow, who was once a teacher herself, went to her hometown high school in Kennett, Missouri. The school principal told the students it was a pep rally before announcing the surprise to loud cheers, reported TODAY.

"I want everybody to give a big round of applause for your teachers. They spend their own money in making sure you have what you need in the classroom," she said.

You can follow Emily Perkins (@emmymckenny) on TikTok for more parenting-related content.