We want our children to grow up knowing that "no" is a complete sentence.
No.
So is "yes" for that matter. But a simple "no" without explanation is much much harder to come by.
Try it sometime. Its tougher than you think.
I don't say "no" very often. When I do say it, I tend to over-explain.
I want Eva and River and Sage to trust themselves. To trust their inner spirit, the God in them, their deep sense of truth and direction so much that when they say that simple "no", they can do it with complete confidence.
I'm reminded of our goal this week. Eva has tagged everything with the word....the sidewalk, the driveway, the garage wall, the house wall, the back door, her room wall...and more. Instead of getting mad, I'm celebrating that she knows the word and how to use it. I wonder too what bigger thing is going on inside her that she's expressing this way.
River is saying "no" in his own way. Last night, friends stopped by for a quick visit. He whispered in my ear,
"I don't want him to play with any of my toys."
I get that sharing and generosity are priceless virtues. But so is knowing what one wants and how to effectively communicate it. I whispered back,"Ok. That's alright."
So he silently and without explanation constructed this fence to the playroom.
He was saying "no." And we honored it.
The chalk photo is going up on my wall... to remind me to practice what I preach. And to trust myself too.
