Yes: Five Minute Friday

I have such a love-hate relationship with the word “yes”. Maybe that’s a bit strong but for the people-pleaser in me it is a tricky one to navigate. I will say that I have come a long way in overcoming these tendencies and have grown more confident in my use of “no” when needed but it is a battle each time. My brain goes into overdrive trying to figure out how to work things out so that a “yes” is possible, even for things I know I’m not really interested in. Lysa TerKeurst’s book “The Best Yes” is a brilliant one for anyone else struggling with this. I need to go back and listen to it again (I have it as an audiobook). I am lucky to have a few friends who have also read this who help to challenge some of my decisions. 

One person I do love to be able to say yes to is my daughter. I make a conscious effort to say yes to being asked to play, yes to outfits she wants to wear, yes to spontaneous outings, yes to cuddles and kisses (that one isn’t too hard mostly). I want her to have good boundaries and not be spoiled but yes to the more important things is a valuable parenting relationship tool.