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
I'm a mom to three girls (ages 18,16,8) and an Optometrist who also happens to be married to an Optometrist. Despite this fact, my daughter’s school had to make three requests for my child to get an eye exam. My last pregnancy occurred as I was closing in on 40 years old and it inspired to me to launch this blog, chronicling life as a working mom who found herself buying diapers and bifocals simultaneously. When I'm not busy carpooling or doing eye exams I can usually be found on a dock soaking up the water and sun at my Show-Me-State home.
BABYFOCALS 
Love it! Ours was “Can I jump on the trampoline in my pj’s” at 8 a.m. Yes! Yes! Yes!
What a nice heart warming story that every parent can relate to. Brought tears to my eyes. Loved the picture of Laney in her PJ’s under the sprinkler. I love them all so much.
So wonderful!
YES! So fun! Ours are: Can I skip my bath tonight, I’m not that dirty? Can I wear my PJs to the diner for breakfast? Oh, and any request to use glitter. It will come out of the carpet one day, right?!?
That really is the awesome part of being a kid. If I ran outside in the sprinkler in my pi’s, I’m not sure it would get quite the same warm reception. I do try to keep in mind that you’re only a kid once. You’re right. We can’t always say no.