Lately I’ve really been bombarded with how fast the kids are growing up. Waaay too fast. Lightening fast. In another month and a half, my oldest will be a 10 year old. Scary.
As time has been flying and we’ve been crazy busy the past couple of months, I realized I had turned into a No Mom. What’s a No Mom?
“Mom, Can I paint”
“No, I just cleaned up”
“Mom, Can we go to the park?”
“No, I’m too tired”
“Mom, Can we make cookies?”
“No, I don’t have time.”
“Mom, Can we read a book?”
“No, I have to call the bank”.
“Mom, Can I get a pet Snake?
“NO!!!”
Okay, the last one is justified, but the rest were just a matter of not wanting the hassle. That’s a No Mom. And yes, I often times can be a No Mom without even realizing it, especially when things are crazy.
This week, my goal is to be a Yes Mom. Whatever their little hearts request, within reason, will be a Yes. Now, it may not be an immediate yes, but I’m going to try my best to just have fun this week.
“Mom can we go get icecream?”
“Sure, right after rest time”
“Mom can we eat pizza for dinner?”
“Yes, that sounds great. How about you help me make the dough”
“Mom, can I play in the sprinkler?”
“Sure, but we have to limit it to 20 minutes so we don’t waste too much water”
“Mom, can we stay up late to catch fireflies?”
“Sure. To make sure you won’t be too tired to stay up, I’ll need you to lay down for a bit after lunch to rest”
“Mom, can we go to Disney World?”
“Absolutely! Now we have to convince Dad and save money for a year”
See what I mean? Every reasonable request even if you have to agree to do it on another day, time, or have to limit it. Or make them think about the reason you can’t do it immediately.
Now I’m not one to give in to every little fancy or tantrum, but I also realize that the past couple years have been very stressful, chaotic, and tiresome and I have been saying No far more than Yes. Right now, I think my kids need a Yes Mom. So YES, we just painted and made a mess. And YES, we had carrot cake for breakfast. And YES, we can go to the store in our mismatched dress up clothes.
Have you ever tried being a Yes Mom? How did it work out for your family?
Katherine G says
I catch myself being a no mom sometimes as well. When I catch myself being that way I try to change it and be more reasonable.
Linda Edwards says
I love this! My little ones are only 3 and 1 but I say way more no than yes. Its amazing how many questions two litlle people can come up with everyday.
Barbara says
I find myself spouting out a “no” sometimes before I’ve even really thought out my daughter’s request. Thank you for providing me with a reminder to take a step back, listen, and ENJOY those moments with my sweet kids.
Oh, and when I really get in to being a “yes mom”, I try to take it a step further with some requests, by adding “and” after my “yes”. Example: “mommy, will you play with me in my princess castle?” My response is “Yes, and may I be the queen with the purple dress? And your brother can be the prince!” I find this really helps me jump in full force!