Taboo Parenting Practices

I could tell my 6 and 8 year old desperately needed a mental health day.

A break from everyday life.

A break from me saying “no!” all the time.

Just a break.

Like we all need sometimes.

So I booked a lake house, emailed their teachers, packed their suitcases, and off we headed for a couple days.

I bought them snacks I would always say no to if it wasn’t a mental health day.

I let them bring their Nintendo switches inside a restaurant we were eating dinner at.

I let them stay up past their bed time, sit by the fire, and dance around.

I let them colour in their rooms, and rubbed their backs as long as they wanted, when I would normally say “mommy’s hands are tired” after 2 minutes.

And what I noticed this day, when I said “yes” way more often than “no”, was my kids happiness.

They seemed happy.

Playful.

Excited.

They set their own boundaries.

I didn’t even have to tell my son to turn off his game at the restaurant when the food came.

He just did it.

I didn’t have to fight with my kids to go to sleep, after saying yes to a fire.

Yes to colouring.

Yes to back rubs.

They just went to bed.

No “one more hug”.

No “one more kiss”.

No “I need water”.

When they woke up the next morning, I said yes to chocolate chip muffins.

I said yes to an extra hour at the playground.

I realize there is many times where I can’t always say yes, but there’s many times that I can.

And this day was one of them.

Tomorrow we will return home, and they will return to school.

A lot more refreshed, a lot more calm, and a lot happier.

As a mom, I am always so caught up in making sure that I get break.

That I get time away.

That I get lazy days.

That I get treat days.

I often forget that my children need, and deserve them, too.

So, I packed up my kids, let them miss a couple days of school, and said yes way more than I said no.

But I think it was needed.

We all need those days sometimes.

Especially our little ones.

Giving my kids a mental health day, and just giving them a break in general, will become a tradition I hope to carry on for years to come.