'Yes' Days

Do you often find that you just don’t have enough time in a day to do all the things with your children that they really want to do? Not only that, do you find you are constantly saying ‘no’? I know that children have a habit of wanting ‘the moon on a stick’ – at least mine do! And it’s impossible to give them everything they want, but wouldn’t it be really great if you could say ‘yes’ for one whole day!

When the school bell rang at 12pm last Tuesday and I watched as hundreds of children spilled out of the doors about to embark on a fun-filled summer, I decided then that we were definitely going to have some Yes Days. Days where they could stay in their pyjamas until 1pm, play at the sink for as long as they wanted, paint pictures when they asked, do all the things that I was regularly saying no to, mainly due to time constraints. While I know that, of course, there must be boundaries and rules, I reasoned that saying yes for a day couldn't hurt, could it..?

Here's what our Yes Day sounded like.

“Can we go to the park today Mama?”

“Yes.”

“Can I drive you to the zoo in the car.”

“Of course.”

“Can I have a biscuit before dinner?”

“Ok.”

“Will you make a tent with me Mama?”

“Absolutely!”

“Can I see Marnie and Grandad in France?’

“Emm… Not today!”

See, they’ll still stump you, no matter what you try to plan! Nevertheless, yesterday we had our Yes Day, and you know what – it did us all good. So, here are some rules I set myself for a Yes Day in future. Yep, even Yes Days need rules!

1. The most important rule – Don’t tell them they’re having a Yes Day. By the end of the day they won’t realise why it was such a great day, but you will!
2. Clear your schedule – don’t have anything pencilled in the diary for the whole day. Focus fully on saying ‘Yes’!
3. Schedule an easy lunch and dinner for that day.
4. Put some extra money in your wallet for Yes Days. Treat them to the ice cream/magazine/packet of jellies, some of the things you find yourself always saying ‘no’ to.
5. For working Mums and Dads, Saturdays and Sundays are great times for Yes Days.
6. And lastly, your house will get messy and untidy – let it! You’ll put it back together again that evening faster that you think.

My Yes Day was exhausting! But it was one of the best days I’ve had with my boys. It was a wonderful – and eye-opening - change of routine, spending the entire day doing all of their favourite things.