Reconnecting with Your Child Starts with Saying Yes to Yourself
The Problem
I remember the day it really hit me.
I was standing in the kitchen, stirring dinner, half-listening as my son told me about something he built in Minecraft.
I nodded, but I wasn’t really there.
My mind was racing through my to-do list, the emails I hadn’t answered, the dishes in the sink.
He stopped mid-sentence and said quietly, “Never mind, you’re busy.”
That sentence cut deeper than I expected.
Realizing we had a Problem
It was like a light switch flipped on and I finally saw what had been happening.
I wasn’t disconnected, because I didn’t care.
I was disconnected because I was exhausted.
That night, after he went to bed, I sat in the quiet and realized something needed to change.
I didn’t want to be the parent who was always tired, always stressed, always saying “maybe later.”
I wanted to be the parent who laughed with their kid, who had energy for board games and silly car rides and bedtime talks that turned into giggles.
I wanted us back.
How we started to fix the Problem
So I started small—with a single idea that seemed almost too simple to work: say yes to yourself.
At first, it sounded selfish.
How could doing something for me help me reconnect with him?
But that was exactly the point.
I couldn’t pour into him if I was running on empty.
I couldn’t model joy, curiosity, or presence if I never gave myself permission to have those things.
Saying yes to myself wasn’t about indulgence, it was about alignment.
It was about reclaiming energy, peace, and purpose so that I could show up fully for the moments that actually matter.
When I started saying yes to myself, small changes began to ripple through our home.
How we started to Say, “Yes”
Yes to physical wellness
Meant moving my body, not to chase a goal, but to feel strong and alive again.
Morning walks became our shared time.
Sometimes he rode his bike beside me, sometimes we just talked about his latest adventure idea.
That simple routine built more connection than I could have imagined.
Yes to mental wellness
Meant creating space to breathe.
I started journaling before bed and spending ten minutes in quiet each morning before checking my phone.
My patience grew.
My reactions softened.
Suddenly, the same moments that once felt overwhelming became opportunities to connect.
Yes to spiritual wellness
Meant finding meaning in the everyday.
Gratitude lists, quiet reflection, and even learning to see joy in small things, like his contagious laughter or our messy dinner table, helped me slow down and see him again.
The more I filled my own spirit, the more naturally love flowed out in the little moments between us.
Each of these “Yeses” opened a new door
I started saying yes to walks, yes to bedtime stories, yes to pancakes for dinner.
And somewhere in between, the laughter returned.
The connection I’d been searching for wasn’t hiding behind a big plan or a perfect schedule.
It was waiting in the small, present moments that saying yes helped me rediscover.
A Message to You
If you’ve felt that same ache of disconnection,
I want you to know, you’re not alone.
We all go through seasons where life gets so loud that we lose sight of what really matters.
But here’s the truth: you can rebuild that bond.
You can rewrite what connection looks like in your home.
It starts with saying yes to you.
You don’t need to have it all figured out.
You don’t need to be perfect.
You just need to start.
Say yes to a walk, yes to five minutes of peace, yes to the version of you that your child needs most.
The one who is rested, joyful, and fully present.
This journey changed everything for us, and I believe it can for you too.
You deserve to feel connected, alive, and proud of the life you’re creating with your child.
Start your own Yes Day today.
Because sometimes, the most powerful way to reconnect with your child… is to first reconnect with yourself.
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