My Problem with “Yes Days”

The “yes day” phenomenon has really taken off in the last year or so. The idea is that parents say yes to everything their child asks for an entire day. This idea has helped a lot of parents connect with their child over silly and indulgent experiences. And don’t get me wrong, I think it’s fantastic to bring playfulness into your parenting and to join in with your kiddos silliness.

My issue is that “yes days” are so few and far between. That parents are acknowledging how much they say no to their kiddos and are remedying it with the occasional day of yes.

I would argue that we should try to make everyday a yes day, where we make saying yes to our kids the default.

Obviously there are times where we don’t have the time, energy, capacity, space, etc to say yes to the things our children want, but when possible, try saying yes unless you have a very compelling reason not to.

So keep doing your “yes days” because they invite connection with your children and let you find joy in their silliness, but make sure you are making intentional shifts to make everyday more of a yes day as well.

For more about making yes your default, head to the Responsive Parenting Lessons