QUOTE : Boundary construction is most evident in three-year-olds. Boundary construction is most evident in three-year-olds. By this time, they should have mastered the following tasks:<br /><br />1. The ability to be emotionally attached to others, yet without giving up a sense of self and one‘s freedom to be apart, <br /><br />2. The ability to say appropriate no's to others without fear of loss of love, <br /><br />3. The ability to take appropriate no's from others without withdrawing emotionally. <br /><br />Noting these tasks, a friend said half-joking, "They need to learn this by age three? How about by fourty-three?" Yes, these are tall orders but boundary development is essential in the early years of life.