How to be a "YES!" Mom This Summer
Saying “yes!” to our kids can feel overhwleming when we tally up the time, the cost, and the energy when it comes to making childhood magic. But with these simple hacks, you can be a “yes!” mom without losing your time, money and sanity!
I’ve recently found myself needing to share several ‘No, not this summer’ answers with my kids.
This life season won’t linger forever, but we’re certainly watching expenses.
At first my heart crumpled a bit each time. I felt their disappointments and personally wanted every summer dream to come true. Well, not every single one of course. But I think you understand. Sometimes I wished I could say yes.
Until one day the simplicity of this statement dawned on me!
I can still say yes.
I could offer my children what was possible and doable for our leisure days. We could brainstorm together plenty of fun and frugal ideas.
When I shifted my focus to YES instead of no, everything changed.
How to Cultivate a “Yes!” Mom Mentality
Being a YES Mom centers much more on our outlook than our bank accounts.
If you’re able and want to schedule organized activities for your children, by all means -- do it! But if you feel discouraged at how this summer is shaping up, release the worry.
Choose instead to say YES as much as possible to what fits within your family life right now.
Remember...sometimes our hang-up lies in where we place our priorities.
Saying YES may take up more time, make more mess or cost us personally somehow. And honestly, this is motherhood. It’s helpful to embrace this fact.
But we’re making memories, right?
We’re offering our presence and interest. We’re also shaping our children’s mentalities about how to process what they can and cannot do.
How to Say “Yes!” More With Kids
This summer, I’ve added a new addition to our morning meetings. So far, this little step helps me understand how to say YES!
I ask each one “what do you hope to do today?”
My children are a bit older, so this may or may not work for your family. But this helps me in two ways -- the children get to thinking instead of leaving all planning totally up to Mom.
Plus, I have opportunity to hear any (sometimes outlandish) ideas.
From the start of our day I can help shape up plans and offer what is possible and doable. True story below:
Child: ‘Today I would like to go to Toys R Us and buy a car to ride!!’.
Mom: ‘Do you have the money for a car?’
Child: ‘No’.
Mom: ‘Then how about we look up online and see how much the car costs? Then you will know how much you need to save up.’
Of course I already knew we could not head to the store and that said child did not have funds for said car. But I focused on how to say YES instead of no.
This quick morning brainstorm so far has helped the children make plans together (oh, you want to do that too!?) and helps me prepare in shaping the day towards YES moments.
See if it works for your kids!
How to Say “Yes!” to You
I want to offer quick encouragement to every Mama out there: say YES to yourself too.
Offer yourself a quick brainstorm of what might be helpful or needful in your day, especially towards self-care emotionally, physically and spiritually.
We can offer a stronger YES Mom to our children when we also say yes to ourselves.
Enjoy the summer friends
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