Name the Feeling

Some kids see straight through the menu: "I don't want either." Don't argue with that — they're right, and noticing it is sharp of them.

You still hold the boundary from before. What you add is honesty about the hard part: "I hear you. You wish you didn't have to do this at all. Me too sometimes." You're validating the feeling, not reopening the choice.

And the technique has a shelf life by design. As trust grows, the choices get bigger and realer: which activity to try, how to spend allowance, when to do homework.