Does a 2 Yr Old Really Know the Difference Betwn Yes and No?

At that age they know what the words yes and no means. However, most of the time they cannot fully understand the question but answer yes or no anyways. They cannot yet say "I don't know" or "Sorry but I don't understand" :-) and feel the need to give an answer when asked a question. So they just say yes or no (it will be a yes or a no mostly depending on their personality, the tone of the question, their mood etc).

when my 18 month old is about to do something he shouldn't i give a firm "no" and he stops in his tracks and turns around and does not do what he was going to do. If i tell him yes you can he smiles and does it. Sooo yeah i think they know the meaning of the words yes and no.

To a certain extent they do , if i ask my 2 yr old if she wants a banana or a drink for example she will say yes or no and get's it in the right context , however I don't think a 2 yr old can understand the question "has your parents ever spanked you". Who asked that anyway?

I agree with Melissa M - it's a confusing context in a lot of cases.

We've asked both of our kids some questions at that age, and we've gotten some really hilarious, embarrassing, and confusing responses.

Unfortunately, in your situation, it can lead to other people reporting you to the authorities because of a misunderstanding.

Just wait until they ask you about people in public - people with disabilities, people wearing interesting clothes, the biker guy at Lowe's with earrings and do it loud enough for the people to hear thus putting you on the spot for a kind yet appropriate answer.

Good luck.
Just keep reinforcing on your end and checking to make sure she understands on hers.

You would think that my son knows the difference between the two because he answers appropriately most of the time. However, I just asked him if he's ever been to Florida and he said yeah. He has never been, nor has he ever heard the word Florida before. He answers yeah or yes to pretty much every question we ask him if he has no clue what we're talking about.

I think they know the difference, they just don't know how to properly use each word in response to questions.

My 2yo is just the opposite. He says "NO" to everything, even things he wants to do. He's learning to say OK in stead of yes, but his default answer is still NO. He knows what they mean, he just doens't know when to use each word properly.
Does yours even know what spanking is? I don't think my DS would know, since that's not a concept that we've ever introduced or used on him.

So that might just be your child's default response to questions...unfrotunately for you! :)

who asked him if he was ever spanked?
Not that that matters, and then how did you know someone asked your child that?

When my kids were that age, they knew the difference between yes and no.
But at this age, they kinda don't say things factually.... or they answer the way they think they person is expecting. Or they answer the opposite.

In time, teach your child the difference... and what it means.

Kids sometimes just say yes or no, hoping it's the right answer to the question. Especially if it's a person they normally don't talk to.

The absolute NERVE of people asking your child if they have ever been spanked!!! Sheesh!

When my child was in preschool, the teacher told us " Don't believe everything they said about what happened at school and I won't believe everything they say happens at home". There's a lot of truth to that. It depends on each individual child.

From past experience as a teacher of very young children, when asked a question until closer to 3, most children will respond ya, or yes. But if you are telling them no, they know that. I'm not sure what happens in there, but closer to 3, they will know they can say no when asked something.

A lot depends on them maturity of the child. Some two year olds know exactly what it means while others may not. Developmentally they are all different. You, as the mother would know his maturity better than anyone else. But, do not assume he doesn't understand anything. I had a friend that would always talk about her child in front of the child as if they understood nothing. Children are very smart and understand more than we realize. And sometimes kids just like to say yes or no to everything. They go through phases and stages.

I dont think they do fully. Mine says yes when she means no and no when she means yes. The "no“ is more accurate to her actual wants

I agree with someone else that they can answer yes or no if they understand the question. So common questions that I ask my 2 yr old get a reliable answer. Your question reminded me of when my mom was on the phone with my 2 yr old this week. Whatever my mom asked her, she said "yes." That's all we heard on our side.

My 2yo son is also the exact opposite... says "NO" to everything. When I ask him if he wants a cookie, he says NO and holds out his hand for the coookie, so I think you need to take it with a grain of salt. It can be embarassing or frustrating when our children say something in public that is not really true. Hang in there!