"Yes Day!" Part 3 of 3

"Yes Day!" Part 3

Like Teaching, Parenting Requires Reflection and Making Quick Changes When Needed

So, I quickly reflected, paused and told him that, yes, it was “Yes Day!", but, safety is the most important part of everything. “Safety first!” is what I always said to him. After explaining the reasoning for having to say no on "Yes Day!”,  he repeated, “I know, I know, safety first, safety first" while pointing his little index finger to show the #1. Hence, we added a rule to “Yes Day!”. We will say “yes” if the request won’t hurt him or anyone else in the process. In doing this, we are teaching him the tools for self-control, self-love, self-respect, empathy, other-love, and other-respect. Qualities necessary as he progresses in his development, primarily, as he approaches the adolescent years.

What is the point, then?

He gains a sense of control while learning to make intelligent choices. The first "Yes Day!" was a great idea in theory; however, like many ideas in life, theory sounds ideal, but, human nature is not perfect, so we constantly need to implement and use theory as a foundation. Theory is the cone and the flavor of ice cream depends on each individual and their current life situation, so, we chose our flavor based on our life, then. Since then, our flavor is continually changing, but, the foundation remains the same-"safety first!".

Today, he understands that while he would love to gorge on sweets and “junk” food, eventually, he will feel sick and hurt himself. Each year, he will mature and learn to make choices that allow him to enjoy life while ensuring that his safety and other’s safety is always primary. As he progresses in his development, there will be many instances where I won’t be at his side and his friends will be a greater influence on his choices, so, having this mindset of being able to enjoy himself while ensuring "safety first" will be invaluable to him in his future. 

He is human and I expect that there will be times when he will not make the best choices, but, having a foundation and tools to make safe and healthy choices is like always driving with a properly buckled seat belt. He won’t have control over everything, but, he will be prepared and empowered with knowledge and tools to choose the best path when roads place barriers and detours.