Kelsey Albers, a recovering nay-sayer who is still learning to say yes, be more adventurous, and have more fun!

The idea for a Yes, And parenting style came to me awhile back during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Desperate to see something besides the four walls of our house, my kids and I ventured out to a local park. We ended up taking a walk to the nearby ball fields and happened upon a rocky retaining wall. My kids, being kids, immediately wanted to climb the rocks.

My knee jerk reaction was “Nooooo! Absolutely not. You could fall. You could get hurt. You could cause a rockslide. But most importantly, if someone drove by, what would they think??”

But looking at the wall, it seemed sturdy. I checked the area for signs instructing folks to stay away. There were none. And I looked at the eager faces of my kids, yearning to scale the wall to escape the dragon who had been stalking us that morning.

“Ok. Yes. And, be sure to check the rocks to be sure they are secure before pressing your foot down.”

There were no falls, no one got hurt, no rockslides happened, and no one drove by to judge.

And I watched my kiddos climb. I watched their muscles, balance, and coordination develop. I watched their imagination soar.

I felt good in the Yes.

I felt good in the And.

And now I’m here- One part inspiration and one part accountability.

Cheers to saying Yes!