Monday, June 18, 2012

It is a short, concise word.
It easily rolls of the tongue,
yet I seem to choke over it.

Toddlers verbalize it...


To my kids?

...I don't think so.
...Absolutely not.
...way, Jose!
...what part of "N" "O" did you not understand?
...not now
...not ever
...I'm tired
...I'm sleepy
...I'm exhausted
...when you can pay for it yourself
...over my dead body what?!
...because I said so better not
...what did you just say to me?!
And, I cannot forget
the one and only time
"NO" comes last..


Yet, I can't belt it out to others. 

Unless it's followed by...'s okay
...don't worry about it's no problem worries
...I'll take care of it.

It's a short list, 
but it's the list that consumes.


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  1. um. yes. you say it so well. ha. i never really thought about all of those meanings rolled up into a tiny two letter word.

  2. Ugh, I hate that -- not being able to put your foot down, when you have every right to. it's hard saying no to people sometimes.

  3. I suck at saying no too. not so much to my kids but to everyone else!

  4. It IS a hard thing to say! I think a lot of us struggle with saying no to people who aren't our kids. ;-)

  5. "No"

    "But why?"

    "Because I'm the mother."

  6. All I seem to ever say in this house is NO. NO NO NO NO! Nobody listens. Ever. Very frustrating. I'm like you, I can't seem to say no to other people who don't live in my house. And then I get stuck making crap for the PTA bake sale. sigh.

  7. I don't even know if I've ever said no to someone who wasn't family. And I feel like it's all I ever say to my kid. No... such a powerful word!

  8. I learned a couple years ago when I found myself taking on too much at the expense of my family to harness the power of no. It was very freeing. Thank you Oprah! ;)
    But, I totally hear you on this one. TOTALLY.

  9. My Little Dude's new favorite saying is "The correct answer is no". He's 2.5. What am I in store for?

  10. there really ARE two kinds of no, absolutely. When your kids say no, sometimes (always? often?) it's irrelevant b/c MOMMY SAYS YES. But the more important NO is the grownup NO, to all those commitments that everyone wants from us...and to those people, ya gotta learn to say no and mean it!

  11. The world could use some more Vitamin N, but it's a tough pill to administer.

  12. I say "no" to others so emphatically, then, before you can count to 5, I'm backtracking because the silence kills me-the looks kill me. I need to channel my inner toddler.

  13. I truly don't have a problem telling other ppl know it's just that I usually want to do whatever they are asking em to do...

  14. Yep. NO is freedom sometimes. I just said no to some school committees and though I care dearly about that process, I just couldn't do it. Good on you.

  15. Along those lines I find myself apologizing to asshats for mistakes they made!

  16. Now that you point it out, I guess I'm maybe the same way. (Unless you've pissed me right the eff off, in which case NO is all you get.)

  17. I love this. But I am a professional "No" sayer.

  18. How true indeed. I need to start saying "yes" to my kids more and "no" to other adults more.

  19. Saying no means putting yourself, your wants and your needs first. It means being a little bit selfish, in the best sense of the word. And it is SO difficult. Take care of YOU and the Nos will come easier. :)

  20. I'm guilty of this - qualifying my no's - not wanting to let people down.

  21. I am totally with you. I throw that word around the house like it's a hot potato. In the outside world...yeah, that's another story.

  22. Oh my gosh, I can so relate. I was on every stinking non-profit board in this city because I couldn't say no. Fundraisers, volunteering everywhere. So was it bad that I used my pregnancy at 41 as an excuse to get off all but two of my favorite boards? I just wonder how long I can get away with saying "Sorry, I can't because I'm pregnant" now that the baby is 4 months old.

  23. I've often thought why do I tell them something and they treat it like a suggestion. I didn't suggest anything. The "I'm exhausted" says it all for me.



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