Jennifer Garner recently posted that she has a tradition with her kids – one day a year, she says, “Yes” to anything her kids ask. This can be anything from going to a theme park or getting ice cream, but can’t be something that lasts more than one day, like a vacation or a pony. The idea has gotten to be trendy, and it is all based on Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld’s book Yes Day!
In the book Yes Day! the main protagonist is a little boy who wakes up excited for his favorite day of the year, Yes Day. He starts the day asking for pizza for breakfast, asks for hair gel to spike his hair, picks the most sugary cereals at the supermarket, and gets to stay up really late watching movies. None of his requests are really expensive. Mostly, they are things parents typically say “no” to because they would be unhealthy or inconvenient for children to have every day of the year, but it won’t hurt them to have on occasion.
If you’d like to have your own Yes Day, make sure your kids know up front what is allowed and what isn’t. (For instance, dying hair may be okay, but spending $500 in toys is not.) And speaking of toys, think about what you say when your child asks for a toy in the supermarket. Many parents will tell their children, “Not now, but remember to put it on your list for Santa” or “Maybe on your birthday.” A similar concept can be done with Yes Day. When you feel bad for having to deny your children’s request to read twenty stories before bedtime or go out for ice cream, you can remind them that they can ask for these things on Yes Day.
Have you tried a “Yes Day?” What were your experiences?
