Tuesday, May 6, 2014

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The Power of "Yes!"

What would happen if you said "Yes!" to everything (as much as you possibly could) for an entire day?

Would the house fall apart?  The kids go wild?  Healthy food go out the window?

You might have some crazy adventures (like we did!), but the results might be better than you expect.




Did you know that saying "Yes!" to your kids can actually improve their behavior?  "Yes!" is a powerful word and sometimes we forget how important it can be.  

Power and control are basic human needs that everyone (even children) crave.  They want to feel in control of their day as much as any adult does, but their plans often get over-ruled by the adults in their lives.  One of the best ways to avoid power struggles with preschoolers is to give them control as often as possible.  Imagine their power-needs as little power-piggy-banks.  Whenever you let them make a decision or exercise control over a situation, you are making little power deposits in their piggy bank.  The more deposits you make, the less they will fight you on "withdrawals!"  You may need to remind them ("You got to choose what we ate at snack time, what book we read at reading time, and how long your bath was.  I will be choosing when it is time to go to bed."), but they are usually much more cooperative when they don't feel they need to demand more power.  

But "Yes!" for an entire day?  Well, I was all kinds of curious as to what that day would look like!  Kohl's slogan for Mother's Day is Yes to Mom and their challenge to say "Yes!" for a whole day was one I just couldn't resist!

I decided to have our "Yes!" day without telling the kids, but by 11:30 in the morning they had figured it out.  With a gleam in their eyes, they began to ask questions:

"Can we go to Chick-fil-A?"

"Yes!"


"Can we go to the library and check out new books?"

"Yes!"

"Can we ride the elevator to the top floor and back down again?"

"Yes!"

"Can we get a donut?"

"Yes!"

"Can we play 'Go to the Dump?'" (a card game)

"Yes!"

"Can we play 'Clue'"

"Yes!"

"Can we take a hike on the Greenbelts?"  (a forested network of trails near our community)

"Yes!"


(Why are they all making faces? I have no idea...but they were having a fabulous time!)

"Can we throw pine cones in the water?"

"Yes!"
"Can we stop and pick wildflowers?"

"Yes!"



Actually, this little hike became quite the adventure when we discovered that I had dropped my keys somewhere along the 2-mile distance we had covered!  The kids had fabulous attitudes, though, about back-tracking and looking for the keys!

The questions kept coming:

"Can we stop in the parking lot here and climb up on the cement pillars?"

"Yes!"

"Can we put a quarter in the car and ride it?"

"Yes!"  

"Can I climb on top of the monkey bars?"

"Yes!"

"Can we buy some strawberries?"

"Yes!"

and my absolute favorite:

"Can we have a "Yes Day" every Friday?"

and when I asked them their favorite part about the "Yes Day," they said,

"Having the kids be in charge of everything!!"


Even with saying "Yes!" to all their requests, they still followed directions and did everything I told them to do.  No behavior issues at all during this "Yes Day!"

And did you notice anything about their requests?  

None of them were too eccentric, wild, or even expensive.  The vast majority involved simply spending time with them.  I didn't get a lot of housework done on our "Yes Day," but it was worth it.  I feel like we made some extraordinary memories!

What would your kids do if they knew you would say, "Yes!"  Give it a try!  I'd love to see what they come up with!  Share your Yes Mom moments on social media with the hashtag #YesMomDay.  Also, please leave me a link or tag me so I can see what you're up to!  You can even share pictures directly on PreschoolPowolPacket's Facebook page!

This Mother’s Day post is sponsored by Savings.com.



I may share at any of these parties!

2 comments:

Outside the Box Mom said...

I have had great success being a yes mom, too. It makes the kids happier which in turn makes mom happier. Thanks for reminding us how powerful yes can be,

Carla at Preschool Powol Packets said...

Outside the Box Mom, Isn't it wonderful! I'm so glad you've been able to enjoy it!!