The Say Yes to No campaign got a big kickoff in Woodbury, MN last week.  A packed room of almost 1,000 parents and educators gathered to hear the message of No from Dr. David Walsh.  

Why did they come?  One parent related that she just felt out of control with her children, buffeted by constant requests for the “next new thing.”  Another parent said that she needed reinforcement for where to set boundaries.  A third had read the book and found that actually saying No when needed empowered her and her husband as parents.

At the end of his presentation, Dr. Dave asked people to raise their hands if they felt that self-discipline was an important skill for kids to have.  Over 1,000 hands went into the air.  Next, he asked “How many of you will do some action to help your kids acquire this skill?”  The hands went up again.  What action to take is as varied as the number of people and families in the room.  Reading the book, taking part in a discussion group, bringing the Say Yes to No kit to their local school, church, or community group, starting a book read group with neighbors, etc., etc.  What’s important is that this set of parents and educators sees that self-discipline is key to their children’s success and happiness in life.