"Yes!" Day

The idea of "Yes!" Day came from another blogger or blog commenter whom I cannot find again. I think the idea was posted on Inspired to Action or Wonder Woman Wannabe; both of those article links are fantastic reads for parents needing a bit of inspiration around having fun with their children.

Every child-parent relationship needs a "Yes!" Day at least once a year. On "Yes!" Day, the parents say "Yes!" to all of their children's requests (with some exceptions).

I command...ice cream cones!

Implementation is simple, and there are only three preparatory steps. And one of the steps is optional!

Prep. Step 1:

Brace yourself to say yes to children's requests that you would normally and automatically say no to. While you are bracing yourself, make a list of things that you will not be able to say yes to due to safety hazards or monetary constraints. Think of a fun way to say no to those things, like, "Yes when you are sixteen years old!" or "My mouth cannot say yes because I love to see you alive and unharmed!" Make it a silly "no" if you think that will be appropriate for your child. If you think your child will manipulate "Yes!" Day and spend all day asking for things to see just how much he or she can get, you may want to write and post a list of things that the child may ask for on this special day, and check them off as the child asks for them.

Prep. Step 2: 

Tell your child the day before that you are celebrating "Yes!" Day tomorrow. That means whatever the child requests to do or have, within reasonable limits, will be granted. Share with your child the list of things you cannot say yes to and explain the reason. Younger children will need more preparation with lots of examples of things you will say yes to (that you normally say no to) and lots of examples of things that you will not be able to do.

Prep. Step 3 (optional):

You may or may not want to stock some supplies for "Yes!" Day, like ice cream and cones or new bubbles or a dirt or water toy or a movie rental. Or you can just wait until the child asks for something on the day, and then go get it. The latter strategy could be helpful in limiting the number of requests if you fulfill them one at a time. On the other hand, it might use up extra gas for the car and give your child innumerable new ideas at the shops!

Hint 1: Take pictures of "Yes!" Day and then display them around the house.

Hint 2: A "Yes!" Day is beneficial in proportion to how different it is from daily life. By this I mean that most of children's days should be limited by reasonable, age-appropriate, and parent-set boundaries to keep them safe, secure, and learning about the world. A "Yes!" Day can then be a parent's way of acknowledging that pure and simple fun is a good thing, too.