Like most mamas of really little kiddos, my life is riddled with no’s.
No, don’t touch that.
No, we can’t go because the baby is sleeping.
No, those rides are for big kids.
No, you can’t help because you’ll burn yourself.
No, you’ll fall and get hurt.
No, it isn’t safe for us to be by the water.
No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No
Well, lately, we have been moving into a season of YES. Our youngest is three, naps are optional (#ripnaptime), and we are pushing ourselves to say yes more.
Yes, we can go to the beach.
Yes, we can go to the camp.
Yes, you can ride the swings.
Yes, you can help me cook.
Yes, you can climb, just be careful.
Yes to glue in their room, markers of their very own, and trusting they will make good choices and only use them on paper.
Yes to naps skipped for fun road trips out of town.
Yes to altering our beloved schedule to make room for new experiences.
This season of YES is scary for me.
I was so secure in our no’s and happy with the routine we worked so hard to establish. That routine was my LIFELINE. It was the only way to manage the chaos of 2 under 2, then 3 under 3, then 4 four and under. And it fostered a sense of security and trust between my children and us as parents. And it is only because of that security and trust that we can begin to branch out in our Yes’s.
