How many times a day do you say ‘no’?
Not just to your children, but to your partner, to your friends, to yourself.
I think it’s important to be able to say no, to not take on more than we can comfortably handle. But at the same time I think there are lots of things that, for various reasons, we really should be saying yes to.
‘Me’ time
Whatever that might mean to you. It might be saying yes to a nice long bubble bath after the children have gone to bed. It might be a regular exercise class at the gym, or joining in with a local park run each week. It might be getting into bed early with netflix and a bar of dairy milk.
It really doesn’t matter what you do, just make a point of saying yes to some regular time when you do something just for you, and don’t feel at all guilty about it.
Your child’s outfit choice
Sometimes what your child wears really does matter. But the rest of the time, does it really matter? If your child wants to wear pink striped tights under red shorts with a top that somehow clashes with both pink and red, does it matter? If they want to wear their batman costume all day, is it so bad to just say yes?
Nerys picks out some, hmm, interesting outfits some days, but I’ve learnt to just go with it. It might not be what I would pick out for her to wear that day, but as long as it’s weather-appropriate I’ve decided that what she wears is up to her.
PJ days
Following on from the last point, I think we should totally say yes to letting our children not get dressed at all, and stay in their PJs all day now and then.
We so often fill our schedules with activities and trips out and all sorts, and it can get exhausting. I think it’s really important to have lazy days now and then. To stay in our pjs and not leave the house and just breathe a bit.
Getting outside
On the flip side, it can be all too easy to just stay at home all the time, especially when you have a young baby. If this sounds familiar, then trying to say yes to getting out in the fresh air is definitely a good idea.
Even just a quick walk round the park can do you the world of good, giving you a change in scenery and a dose of vitamin D.
Offers of help
This can be really hard for some people, but if someone offers to help you in some way, especially in the early days with a newborn at home you really should say yes.
Being a parent is wonderful but it can also be exhausting and relentless, so if someone offers to bring you a hot meal, or do a load of washing for you, or watch the baby so you can snooze or shower just say yes please!
Dates
Both dates alone with your partner while someone else babysits and playdates for your children.
Very different kinds of dates, but both worth saying yes to!
Testing limits
I’m not talking about those times when your children test the limits of your patience and push every boundary possible.
I’m talking about saying yes to encouraging your children to try new things. To letting them test their own limits, to be a safety net for them while they bravely step out of their comfort zones.
When was the last time you said ‘yes’ to any of these things? What do you want to say ‘yes’ to more often in the future?
Oh I love this! Yes to all of them. We’ve had a few too many PJ days of late so I think a getting outdoors day is in order… although it may have to wait until the snow has melted!
#TheListLinky
It’s all about balance isn’t it, but I think I would indulge in a few more pj days if we had any snow around here! x
We have said yes to lots of these things in the last few days. I had a bath and read my book in peace yesterday. We had a pj day too. Today we went for a walk in the snow, Hannah wore her Elsa dress! The children all tried sledging! Just need to organise a date with Andy now! Any volunteers to babysit?
Brilliant! You are quite a ‘say yes’ family in general to be fair! Bring the girls here and we’ll have a slumber party while you and Andy go out for a curry! x
Me Time is so important! I need to be better at that this year!
Outfit choice! YES! I still roll my eyes at what my mother let me out of the house in!
PJ Days are a must!
Love this post!
Thanks for sharing on #TheListLinky
Thank you, I’m so pleased you enjoyed it! We are quite big fans of pj days in our house! x
Oh I absolutely love this list! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Definitely going to share this one. #Thelistlinky
Thank you, I’m so happy you like it! x
I love it! We all need to say yes to me time, I definitely don’t have enough of that haha or of date nights #TheListLinky
Both me time and date nights can be hard to get can’t they, but I do think it’s important to try and get them when we can! x