Amy and the word “No”

[pne]

I heard somewhere that most children learn the word no before the word yes because they hear it a lot more often, but with Amy, it was the other way around.

She’s said amà (which meant yes) or oka (okay) for quite a while, but has only started saying no (in English) or nee (in German) in the past couple of weeks (or so it seems to me). Previously, when she didn’t want something, she might push it away with her hand, but she never had a word for that.

This may also be because she’s becoming more aware of her will and her own desires—that previously she’d say “okay” not because she particularly liked what was being suggested but because she wanted to please Mummy and Daddy, whereas now, she’s more apt to voice her disapproval.