Mom, can we go out to eat tonight?

No.

Mom, can I take the day off from school?

No.

Mom, can you bake us some cookies?

No.

Mom, would you drive me over to visit with my friend who lives half an hour away?

No.

Mom, would you mind if we watched this really violent, rated R movie?

Um … Yes! I do mind. No, you are not watching that! Are you kidding me?! Why did you even ask me?

Just checking to see if you were going to say “No” to everything I asked.

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It seems like I often have to say “No” to my kids.  In fact, we’ve had to say no so much that once Jon told them that No was our favorite word! There have been times when I wished I didn’t have to say no, but circumstances beyond my control necessitate that answer.

Several years ago, I became convicted about how often I tell my children No. I wanted to be a “Yes Mom” … and so I began to look for things I could say YES to regularly.

Yes to hugs and kisses.

Yes to spending time doing something together, like sewing or watching a movie or taking a walk.

Yes to listening to another one of their crazy jokes, even if it is ten minutes past bedtime.

Yes to reading just one more chapter in our read aloud book.

Yes to second helpings of veggies, and sometimes (if you’re lucky) the entree.

Yes to keeping popsicles in the freezer.

The more I looked, the more ways I found I could say YES with a smile and not feel like I was doing my children or myself a disservice. It’s a win-win … and who doesn’t like that?

But more than trying to say yes more often, I make sure that whenever I say yes to my kids, I do everything I can to follow through.

I want them to know that my yes is as good as a promise.

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Let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. ~James 5:12

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This post is part of the 2015 A-to-Z Blogging Challenge. If you are visiting due to that, thanks so much for popping in to read today’s post. I hope you will leave me a comment so that I can return the visit to your blog. I love to connect with other bloggers and readers. If you are a regular reader, I hope you’ll stick with me during April when I blog about the stories of my faith.