Recently, my son started to say “Yes!” If I ask him a question and the answer is affirmative he lets me know. Sometimes he even says it in Russian:
My son’s new found power overwhelms him, and he likes to say yes to everything. Like when my best friend Mint was over and she asked him:
“Are you a unicorn?”
He promptly replied
“Da!” or “Yes!”
In all seriousness, he realizes there is a choice between “yes” and “no.” But there is something greater going on here. The other day, he found a zip lock bag with a piece of old bagel in it. I had an urge to say “No!” or “Don’t eat that!” But I stopped myself.
Instead I said:
“Thank you! Is that for me?”
And reached my hand out to take the zip lock bag from him.
He kindly handed over the old bagel smiling the whole time. In my own way, I said “Yes!” instead of “No!” I embraced the situation rather than fighting it.
The truth is, it takes a lot of energy to say “No!” and get all excited because my child is doing something I would rather he refrain from doing. It feels much better and yields more positive results to just say “Yes!”