Here’s a credo to live by: Just say YES. Unless there is a compelling reason, like danger, disregard of others or it’s totally irresponsible, why not just say yes.
“Mom, can we make chocolate pudding in the bath tub?”
“Boss, if I come in an hour early and skip taking lunch, could I leave 2 hours early this one time?”
“Teacher, could I take the test a day early so my family can take a long weekend?”
“Yes.” “Yes.” “Yes.”
So often people in authority respond with a knee jerk, “No.” I’m not sure where that comes from, but it sure is prevalent. Saying, “No.” is surely easier because saying, “Yes.” Yes often leads to work.*
It was when my kids were young that I first adopted the Just Say Yes approach. And yes, they did make chocolate pudding in the tub. Why not?
As a teacher I still use it today. Why not a spontaneous, “Yes!” instead of a knee jerk, “No!”? The kids in my life know that if they propose something, they are very likely to get an enthusiastic, “Yes!” out of Teacher Ruth.
A couple of decades ago I answered my ringing phone and heard a little voice say, “Will you take me to the park?”It was the son of a friend. His mom had said no, so he gave me, the soft touch, a call. LOL, that warmed my heart.
It also opened his mom’s eyes. She told me later that in that moment she realized that the neighborhood kids saw me as the Yes Mom and her as the No Mom. She decided then and there to become a Yes Mom.
Here’s to more Yeses in all of our lives.
Smile. Be Happy.
Ruth
* I hope you’re proud of yourself for the times you’ve said “yes,” when all it meant was extra work for you and was seemingly helpful only to someone else. – Fred Rogers