Wednesday July 22, 2026 | Write about a time you said "No"! as a child.

I remember once telling my mother “no,” and all she said was, “don’t say ‘uh-uh’ to me.” I must have been around 4 or 5 at the time. Another memory is when I asked if my childhood best friend Jennifer could spend the night, and my mom replied with “sorry, Charlie.” I never really understood that phrase, but I always assumed it meant no, maybe just to keep me safe. Jennifer and I used every sheet in the house to build tents, once filling the entire room. When I was about 5 or 6, my parents divorced. Interestingly, I had been diagnosed with selective mutism at age 4, and I sometimes wonder if that had anything to do with it.