DOING TOO MUCH FOR OUR KIDS?
Since the beginning of this month we’ve been trying to simplify. We have demand after demand that cannot be edited out, like feeding our kids or doing math. But we also have a whole list of extras that can in fact be edited down–simplified. That editing process made me wonder about something though. How many of those things on our “Yes List” are for our kids? Things like soccer, baseball, Lego Club, and Monday Morning Playdates. How many of these things do they even want to do? And how many are filling up our days simply because we cannot tell our children “no.”
To me it feels like society has entered into this type of parenting that works only in our child’s immediate pleasure. It seems almost cruel to say no, to let them learn the hard way sometimes, or to let them loose at a game. Everyone wins, everyone gets everything they want, and “no” is a bad word is not necessarily the message I want my kids to hear. Sometimes the answer is no and we’re all better for it. We don’t even have to have a reason, sometimes the answer is jus no.
I wondered if some of what is complicating our lives is just simply because we cannot tell our children no to what they ask for, and if your kids are like mine they are forever asking for things. Definitely we should be observant of our child’s gifts and interests and involve them in things of those natures, but saying yes to every whim they have is not only stressing you out, but it’s spending extra money, and crowding up your calendar.
Today assess your day and how many things that are filling your head. Is it your kids? If so is it because you can’t tell them no to certain things?
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This post is part of a 31-day series on simplifying our homes and schools.
To read from the beginning of this series, click here:
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