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How to handle a 12-year-old refusing to accept a ‘NO’?

354 replies

YellowMellow99 · 02/08/2026 16:07

I’m looking for some advice please. TIA for your help and please be kind. 🙏🏼
Our 12.5 year old DD latched on to the idea of going to an activity this summer that DH (her father) and I deemed age inappropriate. We explained this to her and said no. We said she can choose another activity.
She’s completely refusing to take no for an answer and has been really upset, angry, uncooperative and argumentative.
It’s tempting to give in to her but that’s what DH used to do and look where that got us!
DD is very smart and (like any tween/teen her age) can be quite manipulative to get her way. She refuses to help with anything, unpack her things (we just moved house a month ago), she’s also not looking after her pets. She says she’d do more if we take her to this event but we already said no and explained why. DH and I have a united front. DD is generally lazy as DH used to just do stuff for her and she soon learned that she should ‘just enjoy being a child’. DH came to realise that this was not a good idea and we are trying to change things and get DD take on more responsibilities (at least tidy up after herself and look after some of her pets) but she’s just very demanding, doesn’t do things unless she gets something out of it, and she can be uncooperative and difficult.
I think DH doing everything for her made her quite spoiled and she’s our only child so that probably didn’t help either.
I’m giving all this as a background information.
She said she’ll be miserable and upset while summer and not talk to us, unless we take her to the event.
I had physically and emotionally abusive parents and I always wanted to do my best for my child. She knows I’m always here and she can talk to me any time. DH and I both love her so much.
I’m looking for advice on how to deal with this and how to help her through it. We already explained to her why we said no, she’s not accepting, and we also explained it to her that in life sometimes you just don’t get what you want and you need to be okay with that and that’s what resilience is. I think she might be influenced by others too. She is not allowed on SM and only has WhatsApp for the last month or so.
Thank you!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
EdgyAzureBee · 03/08/2026 13:29

Seajaye · 03/08/2026 07:19

As you've discovered there is a time for tough love and this behaviour warrants it. Don't give in. Don't allow her to reopen discussions. Disconnect the activity request from her refusal to tidy up after herself as she is trying to manipulate to get her own way. If you give in, you will have rewarded this behaviour.

Separately, her pets can be rehomed if she really doesn't want them, and if you don't want to look after them long term . It's not fair to the pets to neglect them

She said earlier that her and her husband look after the pets, just her DD is not taking part in being responsible for them.

Carriemac · 03/08/2026 13:38

T1Dmama · 03/08/2026 12:56

What?? Well my Dd has a kindle and I didn’t know that. I don’t think she realises either as she only had books on it

That depends on the kindle mine is just an e reader

ProudWomanXX · 03/08/2026 13:41

T1Dmama · 03/08/2026 12:56

What?? Well my Dd has a kindle and I didn’t know that. I don’t think she realises either as she only had books on it

Ah, I'm sort of right, sort of wrong.

Depends on the Kindle version.

I've got a Kindle Fire, and it's a Tablet.
There are Kindle versions which are only e readers.

So it depends what the OP's daughter has.

I'd check , if I were her!

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

ProudWomanXX · 03/08/2026 13:43

Carriemac · 03/08/2026 13:38

That depends on the kindle mine is just an e reader

Yes, I've just posted a qualification to my original post.
But it's worth checking what model of Kindle she has.

drspouse · 03/08/2026 14:15

ProudWomanXX · 03/08/2026 12:53

@YellowMellow99

You do realise that a Kindle is just an Amazon branded tablet, yes? So if she has free access to her Kindle "for reading" all night, she can also access all the apps you might find on a smart phone?

Kindles aren't just e readers.

Not the Paperwhites - only the tablets.

orangehandles · 03/08/2026 14:16

YellowMellow99 · 03/08/2026 01:50

You’re right I guess. What I was doing is Co regulating with her because she couldn’t deal with big feelings (ADHD - I had this issue too and I had to learn to self regulate as an adult, only a few years ago, because my feelings were made fun of and disregarded when I was a child). Co regulating and teaching how to self regulate is what we advise parents to do in these situations. DD learned pretty well how to self regulate by now, but she’s not very expressive/self aware of her feelings and she’s masking a lot due to ADHD (again, I’m familiar with this due to having the same issue). I don’t have an issue with her not feeling okay and I don’t want to make her feel better, that’s not the issue. The issue is that she’s not taking no for an answer.

My husband has an issue with her refusing to do something she was asked to do and me having the expectation that she’ll have to do it, leading to an argument. So he often just did what I was asking DD to do (simple things like pick your clothes off the floor or put your plate in the dish washer, or throw away your rubbish) which was really not helpful!

I don’t know what ‘rudderless’ means - I’ll look it up, I’m not a native English speaker.

I haven't read the whole thread, but there are a few things I'd like to say.

Firstly - rudderless. A rudder is the thing that sticks out of the bottom of a boat and it is used to steer the boat in the right direction. So the saying 'rudderless' means without direction, or unable to stay on a consistent course of action.

Next - I think you have a DH problem. Your DD is using the 'divide and conquer' method with you, because whenever you insist she does something, she knows that if she makes a huge fuss about it, your DH will do it instead, to avoid the confrontation. You aren not together on this issue, and your DD knows it. He needs to back you up, and not give in to her.

Also - You had a difficult upbringing, and are trying to make sure your DD doesn't suffer the way you did. But you are both going too far the other way. She has to learn that 'no' means no, and that if she then sulks or is in a seriously bad mood because of it, she is causing her bad feelings herself. She's never learned to manage her own feelings of disappointment and refuses to take ownership of her foul moods, blaming you instead. It is her own time she is wasting. You have to stick to what you say, whether it makes her have a screaming tantrum or not. She's a child and cannot be allowed to manipulate either of you like this. You say at one point she is good at negotiating. She's learned how to do that, because she's found out what works for her. She is not negotiating, she is manipulating.

She has to stop looking at all this ChatGPT nonsense. Please, for goodness sake, restrict her access to her phone. If she goes off on a monster strop, then tell her that unless she does as she is told and stops behaving like a tantrumming toddler, you will take her phone away because she cannot be trusted with it.

CoffeeBooksRats · 03/08/2026 14:19

You absolutely cannot give in to emotional blackmail or it will become her go to response every time you try to enforce a boundary. I think you just have to refuse to engage on the topic and as previous posters have said just keep repeating that you’ve already said no and she needs to pick a different activity. And I’d be making it clear that if she can’t look after her pets they will be moving to new home where someone else will love them and look after them properly. No excuse whatsoever for animal neglect and I’d have a very firm position on that.

narcASD · 03/08/2026 14:25

@YellowMellow99 my daughter does the same, always my fault, I used to react negatively as it hurts, but the best thing I learnt was to validate and empathise with her feelings but remain firm but kind in my responses.

You can offer alternatives if needed (not all the time as sometimes it's just a No with a reason and that's it).
My daughter has been through lots of therapy and courses to address her anxiety, it's helped a little bit the main thing is to be supportive, firm, control your reactions and stay calm. I sometimes I don't mange this as can get so upset and angry I end up shouting or getting into a debate, it happens, I just say something like, "I've told you my reasons, I understand your feeling angry / upset etc but that's my decision as your parent and I will not be discussing it again".

Someone on this thread said you and your husband are wet lettuces, so unhelpful and judgmental, I've had people call me the same, no one apart from you and your husband knows your daughter best so just remain firm and ignore all the drama.
Fixations are part of ADHD / ASD, don't go into battle with her on it.

Phones are a nightmare in general but I have it locked from 9pm onwards, she has to ask permission to download apps etc.

drspouse · 03/08/2026 14:48

@YellowMellow99 Have just read bits about co-regulation - we don't find the way you are told to do this at all helpful. You can, if it's possible, sit quietly with her when she's tantrumming. However, this tends to escalate into "I'm going to shout at you, why are you not responding" (dopamine rush) or if you are told how to do it by others they tend to say "just keep reassuring her" but this is part of the argument vortex - they need someone to argue with and even just a reassuring word is part of someone responding to you.
I would tend to NOT co-regulate, except in that you show her regulation by saying "we aren't talking about this, if you ask me again I will not respond" and then walking away calmly and not responding.
Earphones and the washing up are handy in this circumstance, I find. You can't argue with a calm brick wall.

minipie · 03/08/2026 15:58

dreamingofgoodhair · 03/08/2026 13:27

It’s irrelevant, her parents have said no.

Gosh I’d be cross with my DH if he was undermining me like yours is by doing things you’ve told her to.

I agree that DH needs to learn to cope with arguments and you, to cope with her being unhappy. If she’s screaming and shouting (I have a DD who does this) you walk away.

Agree 100% with @drspouse especially the headphones tip.

MotherPooperior · 03/08/2026 16:06

EdgyAzureBee · 03/08/2026 13:29

She said earlier that her and her husband look after the pets, just her DD is not taking part in being responsible for them.

Edited

Your edit history can be seen by anyone, and it gives the game away that you are in fact the OP of both this thread and the Pride thread, and you're sockpuppeting on this thread Hmm

HesterLeggatt · 03/08/2026 16:11

I would have a talk to her about give and take.

Make it clear that there are some rules and choices that you can set as a family, but some decisions that will be set by you as the parents, and that is how it is. If she wants to have input into any of them at all then she needs to do her part for family life and participate in reasonable chores and tasks. If she chooses not to, that’s fine, but if she’s too busy to care for the pets then she doesn’t get to go out with friends, as she made the commitment to the animals and they need to be looked after before anything else. If she isn’t willing to do that then the rabbits and hamsters should be rehomed to someone who will look after them well. If she doesn’t want to do her house chores then that’s fine too, but there will be no pocket money or holiday spending money as that will go towards a cleaner instead. Make the consequences clear in advance as well as the expectations, then it’s her choice whether she does it or not but she knows what will happen if she doesn’t.

Edited to add - actions have consequences. Animals not looked after, then she stays home so she has time to do it, and if they still aren’t cared for then they go to someone who will. Chores not done, then the money she would normally have had for holiday spending goes on a cleaner. I think it’s much better for it to be consequences as a direct result than an unrelated punishment like removing the phone.

Blondeshavemorefun · 03/08/2026 16:31

Limit /block her phone till she has played with /fed the animals and any chores /tidying bedroom etc

I would have canceled her seeing friend for her rudeness

Sugarnspicenallthingsnaice · 03/08/2026 17:10

MotherPooperior · 03/08/2026 16:06

Your edit history can be seen by anyone, and it gives the game away that you are in fact the OP of both this thread and the Pride thread, and you're sockpuppeting on this thread Hmm

Oh thank you! It took me a long while to realise I was being wound up, and very effectively too. Did you report?

MotherPooperior · 03/08/2026 17:12

Sugarnspicenallthingsnaice · 03/08/2026 17:10

Oh thank you! It took me a long while to realise I was being wound up, and very effectively too. Did you report?

Yes and MN deleted one of their posts but left everything else to stand Confused

MrBenFreakedMeOut · 03/08/2026 17:26

Sugarnspicenallthingsnaice · 03/08/2026 17:10

Oh thank you! It took me a long while to realise I was being wound up, and very effectively too. Did you report?

@YellowMellow99

Is this true? Have you wasted all our time???

Sunshineandgrapefruit · 03/08/2026 17:27

Ignore the bad behaviour ( within reason), reward the good. It doesn't matter what the activity is. You are the parents, she's a child, not even a teen, and you made a judgement call. She can sulk all she wants. Personally I would be removing scree time/ phone access if the ignoring the initial outburst doesn't work and she's dragging it out. Under no circumstances cave though. The rest of her tween/ teens will be unbearable!

BertieBotts · 03/08/2026 17:27

I haven't read the whole thread but have read most of OP's posts from the first and last pages.

I have ADHD too, OP, and I think you're falling into a trap which is not ADHD specific, but I think ADHD parents are especially prone to - of feeling like you need to persuade your child to accept your decision otherwise you're being unfair.

In fact, she does not need to accept your decision, because this is a boundary you have full control over. She doesn't need to be happy about it. She is allowed to be disappointed, annoyed, angry, upset, distraught, enraged about your decision. She does not need to understand it, agree with it, or anything. Obviously it's nice when those things happen - but it's not a necessary part of setting a boundary, and I'd argue that a lot of the time, as children get older and there are fewer things you draw hard boundaries around anyway, it's normal for there to be a gap where first they have to experience and move through the disappointment, and only later will they understand reasons and possibly agree. (Actually that's probably always the case even with toddlers, isn't it?) Trying to short-circuit this doesn't help, and in a worst case scenario, you're just reiterating that difficult feelings are dangerous and intolerable which is not a very good place to get into, as it feeds anxiety and feelings that a YP can't cope.

I saw the post about co-regulating as well and I get this as a desire - but co-regulation, while it's important, is really only one part of developing self-regulation. Another really important part of developing self-regulation skills is having the opportunity to experience emotional discomfort, not have adults panicking about it, and experience the fact that they don't last forever and you don't always need help for them to go away, they do fade on their own given time. IME, particularly with the emotional dysregulation side of ADHD combined with general emotional mess of puberty, it's even more important to have time and space to experience emotions without a parent getting overly involved or wanting to rescue you from them. It's just a balance thing and it's difficult. I find ADHD makes me very all or nothing. It is hard to strike a balance with sometimes holding back, sometimes engaging, sometimes pushing. Actually this is probably the thing I've found the hardest with the teenage years. DS1 is 17 now, I was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 10, I had more than half of my parenting him with no idea that I had this and then I started to understand it but it still takes time and I'm a lot more aware of my own patterns now than I was when I was newly diagnosed. And I'm probably still making mistakes left right and centre.

The thing is, you've been asked, you've given the answer, and now all that is left to do is to stick to it. Something like this is arguably easier than a pet, because eventually the event will come and go, and she won't have gone to it. She can't buy a ticket on her own and she can't get herself there, so that's the end of it. That is the boundary - you will not buy the ticket or take her (or give permission for someone else to). It's really important IME to recognise that THIS is the boundary - what you do / don't do (in terms of buying the ticket etc) or what you allow/don't allow (in terms of someone else buying her a ticket, or her bringing a pet home from somewhere else, for example). And this is not up for negotiation, so it doesn't matter what argument she puts forward or what bargain she makes or how upset she is about it. I know that might seem harsh, but you also know intellectually, don't you, that missing this event is neither unreasonable, nor will it harm her. You've made that decision and it's OK to do that as parents, in fact it's good parenting.

I think because my ADHD makes it tricky to do balance well, I do better when I have clear rules for myself and one rule it sounds like it would help to have is to establish when you/dad are pulling rank and drawing a boundary (non-negotiable) and when something is up for negotiation. Even if this is just a distinction you make privately or to yourself. Only negotiable issues (might) need everyone to agree, or should wiggle in order to increase the satisfaction of everyone involved. You might lean towards having a lot of negotiables in a ND household, although not everything will be a negotiable issue. However, if you're approaching a boundary with the aim of getting everyone to agree, then you're making it negotiable - which probably isn't what you want, which is why you're getting tied up in knots about it, because you've basically given yourself two conflicting goals. But don't worry, 12 is a very good age to realise this, because at 12 you're still a good few years off the point where you start to lose the ability to set certain boundaries at all because she will have access to her own bank/ID/transport/unrestricted internet. That's OK, but it is much easier to practice setting boundaries and finding the difference between a boundary vs a negotiable decision while you still do have this control.

I could get into the chores/animal care side but I think this post is long enough. But seriously. Lots of blind spots for parents with ADHD, I think. I could write a book about it (I have genuinely thought about doing this...)

MrBenFreakedMeOut · 03/08/2026 17:27

MotherPooperior · 03/08/2026 16:06

Your edit history can be seen by anyone, and it gives the game away that you are in fact the OP of both this thread and the Pride thread, and you're sockpuppeting on this thread Hmm

Sorry - am being thick, how do these posts show that?

wildnwilde · 03/08/2026 17:39

Stop letting her blackmail you . Be unbothered by her immaturity . She clearly recognises that her behaviour is bothering you both . Just let her sulk itll be a very boring summer of her own making.

Error404FucksNotFound · 03/08/2026 17:48

MrBenFreakedMeOut · 03/08/2026 17:27

Sorry - am being thick, how do these posts show that?

Edit history shows poster is op.

How to handle a 12-year-old refusing to accept a ‘NO’?
DraigCymraeg · 03/08/2026 17:50

NotTofeno · 02/08/2026 16:37

What is the activity? Her behavior is wrong but without knowing the context it’s hard to give advice. She may be justified in her outrage if it’s something that is age appropriate and she feels unfairly treated.

If the Little Madam's parents regard the activity to be inappropriate so be it. They have said no. End of chat. And if she won't look after her pets, get them rehomed, the poor critters do not deserve to suffer.

Linnende · 03/08/2026 17:52

I think that you indulged your daughter too much and you have killed her with kindness, your reward is a spoilt child who does not respect you.
I had 5 son's within 8 years, they understood boundaries, No was No! and we did not engage or discuss any further.

My son's all had little jobs to do, keeping their bedroom tidy, bringing their laundry downstairs to be washed, helping around the house by cutting the grass or washing the car. They got pocket money, they also had paper rounds to earn extra pocket money, they understood the value of money and that it does not grow on trees.
If my children misbehaved they were either grounded or there gaming console removed for a set time.This always did the trick.
I think parents today try to befriend their children and treat them as equals. This does not work, children need boundaries.
My advice is to tell her to unpack her things ( give her a couple of days) if she fails to unpack her items, inform her that they will be dropped off at the local charity shop. If she misbehaves, remove her phone for a period of time. Tell her if she does not help look after her pets, then you will find a new home for them. Sounds harsh, but after a couple of weeks of pain, she will get the message!

EmmaJane57 · 03/08/2026 17:57

NotTofeno · 02/08/2026 16:37

What is the activity? Her behavior is wrong but without knowing the context it’s hard to give advice. She may be justified in her outrage if it’s something that is age appropriate and she feels unfairly treated.

They are the parents and when they say no, it should stick. You are suggesting that a twelve year old girl is justified in sulking because an activity may be age appropriate. But whether an activity is age appropriate is actually subjective. Her parents do not feel that it is age appropriate and her parents are the last word on the subject. They are parents. Their job is to safeguard their child. Twelve year olds ae not qualified to make decisions on whether an activity is safe and appropriate. Certainly, if it is an activity that requires parental consent first there is a strong likelihood it is not a risk free activity for a twelve year old.

MMUmum · 03/08/2026 17:57

YellowMellow99 · 02/08/2026 16:07

I’m looking for some advice please. TIA for your help and please be kind. 🙏🏼
Our 12.5 year old DD latched on to the idea of going to an activity this summer that DH (her father) and I deemed age inappropriate. We explained this to her and said no. We said she can choose another activity.
She’s completely refusing to take no for an answer and has been really upset, angry, uncooperative and argumentative.
It’s tempting to give in to her but that’s what DH used to do and look where that got us!
DD is very smart and (like any tween/teen her age) can be quite manipulative to get her way. She refuses to help with anything, unpack her things (we just moved house a month ago), she’s also not looking after her pets. She says she’d do more if we take her to this event but we already said no and explained why. DH and I have a united front. DD is generally lazy as DH used to just do stuff for her and she soon learned that she should ‘just enjoy being a child’. DH came to realise that this was not a good idea and we are trying to change things and get DD take on more responsibilities (at least tidy up after herself and look after some of her pets) but she’s just very demanding, doesn’t do things unless she gets something out of it, and she can be uncooperative and difficult.
I think DH doing everything for her made her quite spoiled and she’s our only child so that probably didn’t help either.
I’m giving all this as a background information.
She said she’ll be miserable and upset while summer and not talk to us, unless we take her to the event.
I had physically and emotionally abusive parents and I always wanted to do my best for my child. She knows I’m always here and she can talk to me any time. DH and I both love her so much.
I’m looking for advice on how to deal with this and how to help her through it. We already explained to her why we said no, she’s not accepting, and we also explained it to her that in life sometimes you just don’t get what you want and you need to be okay with that and that’s what resilience is. I think she might be influenced by others too. She is not allowed on SM and only has WhatsApp for the last month or so.
Thank you!

Absolutely stick to your guns Op, be well prepared for a long summer of whining, but don't give in to blackmail

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