There are so many reasons to say no to our kids. For example…

“Mom, can I cook a special surprise without any help?”

–Almost always followed by a “no” because you will certainly be forced to eat the peanut butter and gravy special sauce and proclaim its deliciousness AND the dog will eat the buckets of food that the mini chef drops on the floor and will then vomit repeatedly on the carpet. Only on the carpet. The tile or hardwood, although infinitely easier to clean, just isn’t as comfy a spot to upchuck for my canine friend.

“Mom, can I spread out every Squinky, Polly pocket, Barbie shoe and Littlest Pet Shop character that I own across the kitchen floor so u can see them all at once?”

–Also usually a “no” because one or five will roll into the air grate on the floor and be unretrievable to the human hand but will cause a rattle that will drive any adult in earshot to drink copious amounts of alcohol to drown out the annoyance. Oh yeah, and the dog will eat however many she can get her paws on and will subsequently have vomit fest number 5000.

It really always comes down to dog vomit doesn’t it?

Anyway, for all the things that we answer no to, there are a few questions that every mother will tell you are sure fire reasons for a yes…

Can I have a hug?
Do you love me?
Do you think I’m a good____? Fill in the blank…dancer, singer, swimmer, recorder player…

Then there are moments when your eight year old looks outside and sees the sprinklers turn on for the first time of the summer at 8am and looks at you waiting to hear “no” but asks anyway…

“Mom, can I run through the sprinklers in my pajamas????”

And you say…

“Absolutely, positively, without a doubt…YES!!!! Yes, yes, yes baby girl, welcome to summer.”

Sprinkler fest 2012