I'm a very giving person and usually happy to help, especially if it involves my dd and gc. However, I think if we choose to s. ay no, we don't owe the other person an explanation. It's nice to give a brief reason, but "That won't work for me," etc, should be enough. Imo, if the other person argues with my answer, they are just trying to coerce me into doing their will, so Iv learned not to get dragged into any further discussion. They're not trying to understand or figure out a compromise, they are trying to get their way. So if it's no, it's no, with maybe a brief explanation, and then I change the subject or end the conversation. I wasn't always able to do this - not boasting. It wasn't easy to do at first, I admit. But I've learned.