I worried I was saying no to my kid too much. So I came up with a1experiment: one week of saying yes to anything my kid asked for(within reason). Of course, I made some rules.
I started my Week of Yes, but quickly realized that my2of saying no was deeply rooted in my brain. I went to3my 6yearold daughter after camping, and she4an ice cream in a nearby stand. I was about to say no without5. But then I remembered I had to say yes for a week and I6. She sweetly thanked me. She must have sensed7was going on because she asked if she could8television as soon as we walked into our house. "Yes," I said. But I was able to9her to one episode(一集), and she turned the TV off without10.
Then it was midweek, and we settled into a cycle of television and ice cream. This is,11, all my daughter wants in life. Before bedtime, she asked to go to the beach.12the next day we had fun searching for seashells and racing with the waves.
At no time during the week did my daughter ask to do anything absurd(荒诞的) or 13. Saying yes allowed her to grow into herself, helped me to lighten up and relax as a 14, and also offered new15for us to connect, play and bond.