A Day Of YES
I've seen other moms talk about a day of yes before and I have always thought it sounded good. A day where you say "yes" to your child more than you say "no". Want to play with Play-Doh? Sure! Fruit snacks before 11? OK! A snuggle on the couch before bed time? You betcha! Yesterday I decided it was going to be a "Yes Day".
Now, don't get me wrong, it's not like I let Kendall drink a two liter of Mountain Dew and jump off the roof or anything crazy. We still had rules to follow. But you know what? I barely had to enforce them. There was no yelling, no reprimanding, no time outs, no threats. Just a happy happy day.
She asked if we could make pink cupcakes when James took his first nap. Who am I to resist that? I love that one of her favorite things to do just so happens to be one of mine, baking. So we baked cupcakes. We ate the batter, we licked the icing, we made a mess with sprinkles and, most importantly, we had fun. There was no stress {on my end} about making a mess or cleaning up right away. It was just carefree.
I let her chose her dinner and guess what? She ate every single bite. No bribing her to take "just three more bites". She ate her whole plate in one sitting. It's been far too long since I've been able to say that. Meal time is a real battle around here, one that I hate fighting, so it was so nice to have it just flow yesterday.
Kendall has never been the kid who can play independently very well. It's something I always try to work on with her because I think it is important that she can entertain herself. But she just always wants {needs?} someone to play with her. It can be very frustrating at times, especially with an infant that still requires a lot of my attention {save that story for another day}. Yesterday? Girlfriend rocked solo play time. She used her imagination, she had fun, and she was happy. As I was cleaning up from dinner I could hear her, talking and playing with her ponies, and all I could do was smile.
Now, don't get me wrong, it's not like I let Kendall drink a two liter of Mountain Dew and jump off the roof or anything crazy. We still had rules to follow. But you know what? I barely had to enforce them. There was no yelling, no reprimanding, no time outs, no threats. Just a happy happy day.
She asked if we could make pink cupcakes when James took his first nap. Who am I to resist that? I love that one of her favorite things to do just so happens to be one of mine, baking. So we baked cupcakes. We ate the batter, we licked the icing, we made a mess with sprinkles and, most importantly, we had fun. There was no stress {on my end} about making a mess or cleaning up right away. It was just carefree.
I let her chose her dinner and guess what? She ate every single bite. No bribing her to take "just three more bites". She ate her whole plate in one sitting. It's been far too long since I've been able to say that. Meal time is a real battle around here, one that I hate fighting, so it was so nice to have it just flow yesterday.
Kendall has never been the kid who can play independently very well. It's something I always try to work on with her because I think it is important that she can entertain herself. But she just always wants {needs?} someone to play with her. It can be very frustrating at times, especially with an infant that still requires a lot of my attention {save that story for another day}. Yesterday? Girlfriend rocked solo play time. She used her imagination, she had fun, and she was happy. As I was cleaning up from dinner I could hear her, talking and playing with her ponies, and all I could do was smile.
We did a craft and we got messy again. James was asleep so we got out all the little sprinkles and glue, things I don't usually like to deal with because "Oh my gosh! The mess! What if we forget a little piece of glitter on the floor and James eats it?!" It's just something I'd rather not deal with. But yesterday? We went for it. She loves making crafts at school and it's something we used to do a lot of but haven't lately and it was so fun to see her get creative. She's such a smart girl and to see her brain work is such a joy. And? We didn't leave any tiny pieces on the ground ;-).
Yesterday was glorious and really opened my eyes. I realized how just giving a little can go a long way. I wish every day could be a "Yes Day" because it was so easy. I think Kendall and I really connected yesterday and we needed that. Unfortunately we have real life to live and every day demands and stresses that keep us from being able to say "yes" to {almost} everything. I do plan to incorporate more "Yes Days" into our lives though.
I'm not sure who needed the "Yes Day" more, me or Kendall, but I know that it was good for both of us. I would encourage you to try a day of yes with your kids too, you'd be amazed at what a great feeling it is to just be free for a day. I bet your kid{s} will love it too.
Yesterday was glorious and really opened my eyes. I realized how just giving a little can go a long way. I wish every day could be a "Yes Day" because it was so easy. I think Kendall and I really connected yesterday and we needed that. Unfortunately we have real life to live and every day demands and stresses that keep us from being able to say "yes" to {almost} everything. I do plan to incorporate more "Yes Days" into our lives though.
I'm not sure who needed the "Yes Day" more, me or Kendall, but I know that it was good for both of us. I would encourage you to try a day of yes with your kids too, you'd be amazed at what a great feeling it is to just be free for a day. I bet your kid{s} will love it too.
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