How Parents Can Say Yes More Often

The average parent says no to their kids hundreds of times during their childs growing up years. From a kid standpoint, that must feel like an awful lot of "no's". As active parents, it’s never fun to have to say no all the time. Of course you can’t say yes when your kids want to paint pictures on the walls of their bedroom, or have triple chocolate fudge cake and ice cream for breakfast. With some creativity though, there are some ways to turn some of those "no’s" into "yes's", and make everyone happy. Here are two ideas.

First Idea

The first way is to start a “no” jar. Every time you say no to one of your kids ideas, write it down and put it in the “no” jar. Let them know that you are saying no for today, but not no forever. Then, once a month, pick something from the no jar and go do it. It might be outrageous but you never know, you just might wind up having some fun too.

Second Idea

Another way to put some yes action into play is with a coupon book. Keep a running list of the things your child asks for, that you usually have to turn down. Then, use those ideas to make up a customized coupon booklet specific to your childs special requests. This year when my daughter turned nine, I surprised her with a Birthday coupon booklet which included coupons for the many items I usually say no to, things like:

1. Her very own two liter of soda of her choosing that she could drink anytime she wanted

2. 30 minutes of video gaming with her teenage brother

3. Family game night where she chooses the night, what we play, who goes first and what snacks we eat

4. Get out of one chore free

5. Stay up 2 hours past bedtime.

The beauty of a coupon booklet is that you can create a very personalized gift that doesn't cost you very much money. That's my idea of a great frugal gift. You will find a free template for making your own coupon book at this FamilyCrafts site, or purchase one already made, shown below. Just one more way to say yes more!

Now, the next time you hear a "no" come out of your mouth, remember to jot it down. Soon you will have everything you need to turn that "no" into an easy, and quite possibly fun "yes" in the future.

Click here for more ways to say yes more.