I do not yet have kids. I don't think that the original article author intended to convey that they're teaching their kids to be all-literal, all the time, but

I do not yet have kids. I don't think that the original article author intended to convey that they're teaching their kids to be all-literal, all the time, but to take a verbal "no" very literally, other statements aside. Lastly, I don't know that I would actually choose to raise my kids this way. I might instead think that it's enough to warn them about people at appropriate (to me and them) times. However, I think that choosing to prioritize social safety over social ease is not an indefensible child-raising strategy.