Sarah is an Air Force
spouse and mom of 5 kids. She prefers
converse tennis shoes to high heels, and gets through everyday with a whole lot
of Jesus and a little bit of coffee.
Sarah loves all things food-network, considers chocolate to be
medicinal, and works out daily so she can keep up with her kids. Her heartbeat is connecting with people, and
if she has any free time, she loves to write on her blog and read. Sarah lives each day “looking for the
glitter” even if life gets a little gloomy because as every mom knows, even if
you just have a little glitter it seems to get EVERYWHERE!
The "Wise Parents, Wise Kids" video chat between Janet Bonnin, Angela Woodrow and guest Sarah Markowski was really fun and filled with ideas! You can see that by going here:
If you'd rather read about it, here are some highlights:
FTF: What is "YES Day"?
SM: YES! Day is a
concept I borrowed from a children’s book of the same name. It’s a day that
allows your children to ask for the (sometimes crazy) things that don’t fit
into a regular “schedule” and gives you the chance to say YES!
FTF: Why did you
decide to do a "YES Day"?
SM:I decided to
do YES! Day because as a mom, I was feeling burdened by the amount of
correction, redirection, and “no” that seemed to dominate my parenting
journey. I wanted my kids to feel the
positive reinforcement of receiving permission, and I wanted to feel the
empowerment that comes with giving permission.
FTF: What should
parents do in order to have a successful "YES Day"?
SM: To prepare
for YES! Day, I had to think three steps ahead of my kids. I did write a few ground rules to prevent the
day from spiraling out of control, and I started the day by presenting those so
that we wouldn’t have confusion or conflict during the actual day. As a parent, you have to think about what you
are comfortable with and what your budget allows. For instance, one of our rules was that the
kids could not ask to do things that jeopardized their (or anyone else’s)
safety. I also had a rule that gave them
each a $10 spending limit for the day (outside of food). I was fine if they wanted to go out to eat
three times that day, but I did not want to spend $500 on a clothing-shopping
spree.
FTF: What was a
favorite memory/moment from your "YES Day" experience?
SM: My favorite
moment was at the very end of the day.
My oldest (about 14 at the time) had asked for NOTHING all day long. By lunchtime I was suspicious. Just as we were heading to bed, he said,
“Mom, can I get a Facebook account?” I
was stunned. His request did not break
any of my ground rules. He was crafty
and clever. I thought for a minute
trying to figure out how I was going to get around this one. I finally just said YES! But, in the morning
we’ll talk about the guidelines that will come with that privilege! I loved being able to reward his patience and
creativity with a YES!
FTF: Would you do a "YES Day" again?
SM: We have done
a YES! Day every year since that first one.
I usually surprise the kids on a day that is out of the blue when I feel
like we could all use a little more fun and joy in our lives!
You can find the ‘Yes Day’ book here:
Other ‘Yes! Day’ resources:
People reading ‘Yes! Day’ book:
A variation on ‘Yes! Day’
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