How to have a successful "Yes Day"

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If you are reading this post then you are considering having a "Yes Day" or were redirected from my blog, Say "Yes" to the kids and have a Yes Day. Either way you are here for a reason and should totally have a "Yes Day" with your family.

For those of you who don't know what a "Yes Day" is, it is a day that you says "Yes" to everything all day long. From the moment you wake up to when you go to bed. 

Now you may be wondering why anyone would want to do that. What if the kids ask to do something crazy or super expensive that I don't want to do and can't afford? Don't worry, you CAN have a SUCCESSFUL "Yes Day" without breaking the bank and without saying "Yes" to everything your kids ask for. It takes some creative thinking, but it is possible.

My husband and I managed to have a successful "Yes Day" with our 21 month old, 3 and 4 year old. You can see what my kids chose to do on "Yes Day" HERE.

Why you should have a "Yes Day"

I say "no" or "not today" to my kids a lot which is okay, especially when it is needed but eventually the word "no" will go in one ear and out the other, if it hasn't already. If your kids always hear "no" then they will quit asking for things and just start doing whether it's wrong or right so why not change that by dedicating a whole day to saying "yes".

Saying "yes" to everything helps open your eyes and your kid's eyes to new and exciting things. It gives your kids the confidence to ask for what they want and hopefully teaches them to make good decisions.

My kids didn't ask for anything extravagant. They managed to pick out their own clothes and they chose healthy meals to eat. Now I know not all kids will do the same but it taught me that they were not spoiled and that my husband and I were raising them right. 

Schedule your "Yes Day" but don't tell the kids

Set a day aside that you know everyone is free to participate in the "Yes Day". Do NOT tell your kids about the "Yes Day" until the night before or the morning of. Better yet, don't tell your kids you are having a "Yes Day" at all and just start saying "yes" to everything to see it they catch on. This will help cut back on cost and avoid your kids planning some huge fun day in their head.

The weekend before our "Yes Day" I mentioned it to my husband and he thought it was a good idea. Shortly after I happened to search "Yes Day" and found out there was a book called "Yes Day". I had no idea there was a book out there so I clicked on a video of the book being read and let my kids listen to it then explained what a "Yes Day" was.

When asked if they'd like to have a "Yes Day", they started cheering "Yes, Yes, Yes!". Three days later we had our "Yes Day". We did not tell the kids when we were going to have it, we woke up, started saying "Yes" and asked them what three things they would like to do. The kids eventually caught on and realized that it was officially "Yes Day".

If you haven't already, you can also watch the movie Yes Man staring Jim Carey (rated PG-13) that touches on the excitement and struggles of sayings "yes" to everything. 

                                                              

Set some ground rules

Make sure your kids know that you will not partake in anything dangerous or illegal and that you are on a budget so you can't fly to Disney World and back or buy a pool just because it's "Yes Day".

Make sure that your kids know that everything goes back to normal the next day.

Make sure your kids know this is a family day so they will be spending it with family. This rule probably only needs to be addressed if you have teens.

Make sure you are only answering "yes" to things going on in the present time not the future.

Kid - "Can we go to the movies tomorrow?"
Parent - "Today is our "Yes Day" would you like to see a movie today?"

Don't make "Yes Day" a daily, weekly or monthly thing. Keep "Yes Day" special by having it once a year if not less often.

Most importantly, have fun, family bonding is important!

Some other possible rules can be that they must still go to bed on time, they have to eat something healthy throughout the day and possibly limiting screen time.

Use alternatives to the word "No"

Sometimes you just have to say "No" to protect your kids but if all possible, try to avoid using the word "No" on your "Yes Day". If you really don't like what your kid ask for try suggesting something else, redirecting the conversation or responding with a question. 

Kid - "I want to ride my bike to the park" *the park is miles away

Parent - "That's a far ride, I can drive you there faster!"

Some other alternative to the word "No" without saying "Yes" are:

• "We will see" 
• "Ask me again later" 
• "Maybe later" 
• "Not right now" 
• "That sounds fun but wouldn't you rather..." 
• "That's a lot of money, how about we... instead." 

You don't have to spend an arm and a leg on "Yes Day"

Society makes parents think we have to spend all kinds of money on our kids to have fun but that is not true. When it is all said and done your kids will remember the experience and the time spent with you, not the money you did or didn't spend.

Yes I could of taken my kids to the zoo or gone to one of the fancy pools in our town,  and spent a lot of money on activities my kids asked for but they said "pool" and "animals" so I was able to make it work to fit our budget and as you can tell by the pictures, my kids had a blast!

Yes it was "Yes Day" but my husband and I did not give into our kids every wish as my daughter asked to play Spoons about twenty times throughout the day and we replied with "Not right now" or "maybe later" but we did not tell her no. We let the kids choose what they wanted to do and we went from there.

Think outside the box
Like I said above, you don't have to do everything your kids ask for and if you think outside the box you may be able to come up with a budget friendly alternative to what your kid asks to do.

Kids ask for animals - first thought is the zoo. On a budget? Go to a local pet store or see if the library has an animal show that day.

Kids ask to go to the pool - go to the local pool, have a pool pass, even better! On a budget? Set up a kiddie pool in the back yard, visit a friend that has a pool, go to a splash pad, go to a creek or a lake.

Kids want to go to the movies - go to the movies. On a budget? Check out the dollar theater, rent a movie or buy a movie from the pawn store for $1, build a fort and watch the movie in the dark with popcorn.

Kids want to build a tree house - buy a ton of wood and get to building. On a budget? Try to build one out of cardboard boxes and let the kids decorate the boxes with markers. 

I recommend giving "Yes Day" a try. You'd be surprised at what your kids come up with and who knows, maybe you will both learn something new. If I had to plan a family bonding day I would of spent a lot more money than I did. My kids kept it simple and asked for simple things. I know not all kids will do that but you may be surprised at what your kids ask for. For all you know they just want to spend the day with you reading books and playing at the park.

I am not the perfect parent and the word "no" slipped out a few times because it's a habit but I did my best not to say "no" to what my kids wanted to do. It is a challenge but keep an open mind, think outside the box and you will make it through just fine! Feel free to leave a comment below with how our family has a successful "Yes Day"!

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