These are the Days of Yes.

Yes to more.

Yes to extra.

Yes, you can do that.

Yes, we can do that.

But it all was qualified. Yes, after. Yes, once we. Yes, only if.

The qualifications, we thought, were good parenting. And they are. But last week we tried a new approach, a new yes.

Yes, and you set your schedule.

As long as the kids do their chores, practice music, get 60 minutes of exercise minimum, and read for pleasure by the end of the day, they get to make their own schedule of activities for the rest of the day (within reason, of course. We’re not dropping everything and running to Disney.) If we have plans made, they don’t get to opt out, especially dental visits.

My husband and I set some boundaries and limits on this and assigned ourselves veto power and the right to…