Right, exactly. I don't think the explanation always needs to come first — my toddler knows not to touch the oven, but doesn't understand why. Someday he will,

Right, exactly. I don't think the explanation always needs to come first — my toddler knows not to touch the oven, but doesn't understand why. Someday he will, but for now he just needs to fucking listen so he doesn't injure himself. Even as adults, there are plenty of "rules first, explanation later" situations — and there are plenty of rules that people obey without knowing why. It's not so bad.