Sometimes I get sick to death of hearing myself say “no.”

Or “not right this minute,” or “after daddy gets home,” or “maybe another day,” or “just a minute,” or “after your sister goes down for a nap”.  I hate the days that it seems like I’m telling my kids “no” or “not right now” for every thing they ask for.  I’m sure they get sick of it, too.

For some reason, it’s easy to get into this “no” spiral.  It’s too easy to get busy or exhausted or fixed on something else.  Some days I have to consciously remind myself that today I’m going to say, YES.

“mama, can we go to the park?”

“yes!” And grab my shoes to head out the door.

“mom, can we have a treat?”

“yes!” and march to the kitchen to see what we can find.

“mom, can you come jump with us on the tramp?”

“yes!” and hop aboard.

“mama, can we play candyman? (candyland)”

“yes!” and drop what I’m doing to set up the game.

“mom, can I wear my princess dress to the store?”

“Absolutely!” and toss a crown on her head while I’m at it.

Saying yes is good for my soul.  I never get sick of the look on my kids face when my “yes!” takes them by surprise.

Yesterday my girls asked, “mom, can you come play with us outside?” And those few hours of chasing butterflies across the lawn is exactly what I needed.

I desperately don’t want to be the mom shooing her kids away at every chance.  I want to experience life with my children, not always living parallel from them.  Saying yes to them when I can helps me to connect with them.  It allows me to play their way for a change.  It allows me to go a little easier on myself on the criticism.

Being a mom is a tough gig.  It’s serious and it’s demanding – all – the – time.  But aside from our responsibilities, it’s so, so important we remember to enjoy it.  Motherhood is such a wonderful blessing and I truly believe our children are sent here to teach us about life, not necessarily the other way around.  If there’s anything my girls have taught me it’s that taking a breath of fresh air and getting a good belly laugh is really all you ever need.

Today my goal is to say YES as much as I possibly can to my children.  Because to be honest, I need it more than they do.