A year into the pandemic, I’ve mentally exhausted the number of times I’ve had to say no. With no school, no touching, and saying, “Nope, you can’t go outside without a mask,” I couldn’t bear hearing myself say no when the kids asked if I would watch Yes Day with them.
While I typically take advantage of screen time to work, send emails, wash dishes, do laundry, and prepare the next meal my children will likely say "no thanks" to, I surrendered. Collapsing my body into a bean bag on the floor, I covered myself in blankets and let my three children — ages 3, 6, and 9 — sit tucked into my limbs, restraining my arms from scrolling through my phone in order for us to watch the new Netflix movie starring Jennifer Garner.
It turned out that after a little cheer and a ton of giggles, saying yes was just what my family needed
The film celebrates a family of five whose parents allow their children to plan a day by saying yes to all of the kids' requests. A day for parents to feel young again, running around with their kids, encouraging creative play, without the adult responsibility of saying no. It doesn’t matter if the film is exaggerated, unrealistic, or cutting edge – the film is just what we need right now. It's about a family yearning for fun, forced to put away phones and tablets and trade in electronic devices, to play outside, and it sounds like a dream come true.
The premise is inconsequential because... that’s not the point
Families don't need a transformative cinematographic experience right now — we need to be able to adapt and adjust expectations, to find joy in the little things, despite imperfections.
In a year filled with the lowest of lows, families don't need a film like Yes Day to have jokes with good timing, because let's face it, our reality is a dud — I’ve had enough with saying no, and a film that offers my family a reprieve from reality is a yes to me.
