Parents are led to believe that they must be consistent, that is, always respond to the same issue the same way. Consistency is good up to a point but your child also needs to understand context and subtlety... much of adult life is governed by context: what is appropriate in one setting is not appropriate in another; the way something is said may be more important than what is said....

First Feelings: Milestones in the Emotional Development of Your Baby and Child (ed. Penguin Books, 1989) - ISBN: 9780140119886