50. Just Say No: Write about the power you felt when you told someone no.
https://thinkwritten.com/365-creative-writing-prompts/
“No.”
Such a tiny little word, and yet! And yet how powerful!
I’ve come up with lots of different ways to say “no” these days. As a mom, I think it’s important to have a variety of ways to destroy your child’s happiness.
“Now’s not the time, love.”
“Not likely.”
“Never in a million years.”
“Heck no!”
“What, do you think I’m stupid or something?”
“Ix-nay.”
“Let’s all have a big tall glass of nope.”
It feels like I have a whole arsenal of “no” weapons, ready at a moment’s notice!
A Bit Carried Away
At one point, though, I realized that perhaps it was getting a bit excessive.
This dawned on me when my three-year-old threw himself on the floor and screamed when I told him, “No, you can’t play the piano.”
That’s normal, you think. Any three-year-old would throw a fit about something like that.
True, but hear me out.
I have fairly high noise tolerance. This piano has survived lessons from four kids: it’s not like it’s delicate. My kids aren’t that rough. We had just finished one activity and hadn’t yet moved on to another. He had washed his hands and everything.
Could It Be That…
Perhaps I was saying “no” too much??
But how can that be?! I must be FIRM with my children! They can’t have everything they want!
This is true. They cannot have everything they want. But not everything has to be a battle. After all, we got the piano for the kids to enjoy!
So after watching him scream for a minute, I thought to myself, “Do I really care enough about this situation to worry about seeming inconsistent if I change my mind?”
The answer was (you guessed it!), NO. No, I didn’t care that much.
“You know what, love? Why not? Of course you can play the piano. Go ahead.”
Picking Your Battles
His face immediately cleared, and he clambered up onto the piano stool and started plonking away. He didn’t last long, and soon became interested in his trains.
Noise gone. Happy child. Happy mother.
That was a battle that didn’t need to happen. Others definitely need to happen (like reasonable bedtime, brushing your teeth and OMG STOP EATING TOOTHPASTE HOW DID YOU FIND IT GAAAAAAH).
But when we’re all cooped up at home together, and things are tough enough as it is, picking your battles is an important skill to learn.
It’s also good to realize that sometimes…
“Yes” Is Powerful, Too
(Or, if “yes” feels too permissive, try, “What the heck? Knock yourself out, kid.”)
