I’m hearing from the weather predictor folks that our cold snap here in Minnesota is coming to an end. Just hang in there for another day.  I even heard someone mention crocus blooms. Well our cold weather didn’t stop over 900 parents from turning out in Eden Prairie for their Say Yes to No kickoff at Pax Christi. Parents came because they know that things are out of balance for our kids. That the More, Easy, Fast, and Fun culture is not giving our kids the skills they need for success and happiness.

Many parents said that they had already read the book No. Many parents also said that reading the book had changed the way they parent. Here’s one dad’s story:

Last week this dad had gotten one of those notes that parents just dread. It was from his son’s teacher, telling him that his son’s behavior on the school bus needed to improve. His school bus driver had reported difficulty.

Now I don’t know what he would have done previously, but he related that reading No helped him decide exactly what to do. He went that day to school and found his son’s bus as the kids were loading at the end of the day. He introduced himself to the driver and gave the driver his business card. He pointed out his son and said to the driver, “That’s my son, if he misbehaves, please call me. You have an important job driving this bus.”

What lesson did his son learn that day? He learned that his father was the parent and that his dad stood in support of the school with regards to appropriate behavior on school busses.   But he also learned something else: a lesson in self-control. From that day on, no more behavior issues on the bus.