The Day of No No's

One Saturday a few weeks ago, the kids and I had a day off with no plans.

BK woke up first. "Can I watch cartoons?" he asked.

"Sure," I answer. "Would you like some cereal for breakfast?"

"Yes, please. Can I eat it at the coffee table while I watch tv?"

"Yes, you may."

A few minutes later, Bug came downstairs. She does not care much for cereal. She munched on an apple, and then asked if she could have a Cup o' Noodles for breakfast.

For first thought was no, that's disgusting. But then I thought, what does it REALLY hurt? I would give it to her for lunch, so why can't she have it for breakfast?

"Yes, you may have Cup o' Noodles for breakfast."

Both children were happy in the morning.

"OK, guys. Daddy's at work all day, but we have no plans. What should we do today?"

"Let's go to the park!" BK yelled.

"OK, that sounds like a good idea," I answered. "How about we watch cartoons until like 9, then go to the grocery store and buy some food, and then have a picnic in the park?"

They both liked this idea. "Can I bring my scooter?" BK asked.

"Yes, you may."

Then I thought, look at how happy they are. They are in such good moods. Is it because I've said yes to every request this morning, instead of saying no? What if I went the whole day without saying no?

Challenge, accepted.


We went to the grocery store, then packed up a picnic to eat in the park. We ate and then played for about an hour, then walked home. "What should we do now?"

"Can we play with the helicopter?" Bug asked.

Actually, we could NOT play with the remote control helicopter. It's really The Agent's toy, and I have no idea how it works. Plus, I could see that BK was getting tired and needed to rest. But how to say no without actually saying no? "How about this? Let's watch a movie we haven't seen in a long time... is that a good idea?"

They both agreed that this was a good idea.

By the time The Lego Movie was over, it was time to start dinner. "Daddy's going to be home soon, and we need to get dinner started. Let's make spaghetti."

"Can I help?" Bug asked.

"Yes, you may."

So we spent the late afternoon making spaghetti while BK was happily coloring. The Agent came home to both kids in a good mood, and Mommy hadn't started drinking yet.

A good day for all.