Many years ago, I found myself in the habit of saying "no" as soon as my children asked to do something that wasn't already on my agenda. I was just tired and didn't want to think about one more thing. But when I noticed what I was doing, I had to stop and think about it! Why should I say "no" so easily? It was only because of laziness and/or selfishness that I quickly ruled out any options I hadn't already planned on. So I decided on a new habit. When my children asked to do something, I required myself to seriously consider their requests. It was hard at first. It took effort for my busy mind to stop and consider the possibilities and the consequences of saying "yes" as well as of saying "no." But I found that I could usually say "yes" without causing major disruption to the rest of the family or even my own agenda. My children weren't asking for the moon. They wanted to play with a friend, go on a bike ride, have a picnic, make a tent out of blankets, go to a park, fly a kite, etc. Now that they are teenagers, I still usually say "yes" as long as transportation is available and the setting they are headed for is appropriate. So, these days they ask to go to a friend's house, have a bunch of friends over to play airsoft, go to a movie with friends, go to the pool, bake cookies, get a job, etc. And so a new habit was born and has created a much more positive atmosphere in our home . . . just say yes!