Now, undoubtedly, many of them are very appropriate.
"No, Shaanie, you can't get inside the dishwasher."
"No, Sonu, you can't go to the grocery store without pants."
And while I do believe children need rules and parents who predictably enforce those rules, I also don't want my kids to start to believe that No is actually their first name. So, I am making a conscious effort to add a little more YES to their day...to try to identify those requests that are actually not life threatening and won't destroy my home, my car, or my sanity...and say YES!!!
Although it may mean that a project may take twice as long or things might get a bit messy, watching my kids get completely involved in "helping" mommy and daddy or actually seeing their crazy ideas come to fruition has, so far, been totally worth it.
Yes!! You can help mommy make pesto!
Yes!! You can help daddy fix the table!
Yes!! You can write all over the tub! (Ok...those are bath tub markers, but still...)
Although as the mother of two curious and active little munchkins I can't totally avoid being a Negative Nancy, I will continue to try to find opportunities for the affirmative. Hopefully with some positive parenting I can help foster my boys' creativity and encourage them to continue to seek out new experiences. In turn, they constantly remind me to take time out to play. The days in life when someone will ask me to take a break from making dinner to play another round of hide and seek are numbered...and I'm trying really hard not to let them pass me by.
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