It's time for another round of Tuesdays Unwrapped, from chatting at the sky. (Emily, you should know it goes against my grain not to capitalize your blog!!) LOL
This is a time to include a story or a photo documenting your messy, lovely, unexpected gifts of the small and ordinary nature.
For anyone out there who has ever parented (or spent a lot of time around) an active three-year-old, don't you feel like somedays all you say is, "NO"? Ugh.
It's wearisome. Most of the time it's warranted.
"No, Andrew, you may not jump off the couch."
"You may not touch the TV (again) with your fire hat and leave scratches on the screen."
"Please do NOT wipe your crumbs on the floor."
And on and on and on.
But sometimes I think it's our nature to say "no" before we even process the request. Because a lot of times it's easier. Lately Andrew has been asking "why." Well, actually, he asks, "Because what?" but he means "why."
"Andrew, please don't push Benjamin around in his bouncer."
"Because what?"
"Because he might fall over."
Like that.
But lately I've been thinking about what it must be like to be a kid. And to always have someone say "no." It must be frustrating. And confusing. (Especially when Namma says "yes" about some of the same stuff, LOL!--Love you, Mom!)
So this past week I tried to make an effort to say "yes" about some things. I had to ask myself, "Does it really matter?" "How important is it to say 'no' about this issue?" "Is it hurting anything or just inconveniencing me?"
Many times I found it was just fine to say "yes." And it was fun.
I could use a little more fun in my life.
"Yes, Andrew, you may play in the tub. I'll even open the blinds so you can see out."
"Yes, Andrew, we can ride home with the windows down." (I had to stop in the neighborhood to get my camera out of the back.)
(If you look closely at the top of the infant carrier, you can see Benjamin's crazy hair sticking up!)
"Yes, Andrew, you can lean over in your seat and we can smile at each other under the table." (Mealtimes always last so long with my picky eater that I try to cut playing down to a minimum.)
What can you say "yes" about this week?
:)
14 comments:
Cute! I know how you feel about always saying no.
i love to be able to say YES to my kids! and i love the picture of your son in the tub with the kitties!
Oh my Angela you hit a sore spot with me. I feel like all I do is say no to Abby. She is really testing her boundaries right now. Last night we had a talk. She told me I let her do NOTHING! So this morning when she asked to wear her Hanna Mantana outfit that my mom bought her...I paused and said what is it really hurting to myself and I let her wear it. It is nothing I would ever buy for you nor have I let her wear it out of the house yet. So today was a big step for me and I made my little girl happy!
Thanks for sharing that I am not the only one who says no all day.
Great post! I feel like I'm constantly telling Julie Anna "no", too, and then feel guilty about it later. One example, she is always asking me to walk to school to get her and then take her back to my work (my office is at Erlanger and she goes to eKids, which is across the street). I'm always saying "no" (or making an excuse, "It's supposed to rain today", "It's too cold", "It's too hot", etc, etc, etc), but yesterday I walked across the street to get her. I told her I had a special treat for her (Her-"Is it a lollipop?"; Me-"No, it's not a lollipop."; Her-"What is it?"; Me-"You get to walk back to mommy's office while I finish work."; Her-"Awesome! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, mommy, I lub (love) it.") Needless to say, it brought a huge smile to my face. Who knew that something so simple as walking across the street could bring such happiness?
I've been thinking about this a lot too, lately. I say no A LOT. Thanks for this reminder. I needed it!
What lovely photos to remember the fun times of being able to say "Yes, You may".
Oh, we are right there in the threes with you! Thanks for the thoughtful reminder that "yes" is often more fun and probably totally okay :)
I love the pictures! I took a couple of my own Sunday (then put the camera away to enjoy the fun with the kids) when, at 7:30pm, we put on raincoats and boots and went outside to jump in puddles while it poured on us! I couldn't come up with a real reason for saying 'no' to them when they asked... so we did it! And loved it! And, yes, it felt good to say, "Sure! Yes! We can!"
Have you seen Jim Carey's movie 'YES MAN'. Well, it dosen't always work with toddlers, but, sometimes yes can take us down a different road!!!Sometimes 'no' is the only right answer when kids are involved.
I agree! As a mom I find myself saying no more than yes. Sometimes there are valid reasons for no, and others...not so much. Saying yes is more fun--for everyone.
Great photos! I really like the one with your 2 cats and your son in between.
I like this. bravo! :)
i said "yes" to some frivolous play time at the mall last night...they went up the escalator just for fun...I hid around a corner and when they came tearing down the hall after me, I jumped out and said BOO! Loud screams and laughter...lots of stares...but it sure was fun!!
And THEN, I said "Yes" to ice cream!
My kids weren't sure what I had done with their REAL mom, but I think they liked the substitute just fine! haha
I needed this post. I am going to try... it has been a hard week with Ellie so sick.
Boy, did this bring back memories! My daughter, now 20, liked to blow bubbles in her chocolate milk and I always told her to stop. Because my mother had always told me to stop. One day, I thought, what possible harm can come from blowing bubbles in your milk? So we both did it and had a great time.
I love the pictures of him in the bathtub. Memories for both of you!
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