My friend and I have five year old boys and we met when they were six months old. They are now friends. When we are together with the children I find that although I never tell off her son and leave that to her, she will often do that to my boy. I wouldn't mind so much if he had done something deliberately naughty but sometimes I don't agree with what she says. For example this morning we were at a gardening club and he loved the apple press, he went to keep turning the handle after the apples had been turned out and she told him quite sharply, "No, it's not for playing with" (whereas I was going to go up and hold it making sure it was safe) When picking tomatoes in the greenhouse, we had explained about only picking really red ones, but he got another 'No!' for one not red enough, bless him, he was just excited to pick them... also there were a couple of other times, I think he tossed a pear into a box (we'd been doing the same with apples all morning)It's a lot of this "NOooo" which I never do and I worry that he might lose his spontaneity and become wary of trying new things for fear of reprisal for getting it wrong. What do you think? Maybe I am just being sensitive? She does not do it to her own boys however praises him lots eg. "I know you'd be the man for the job"