A Disney Yes Day

Updated April 12, 2024

If you had told me years ago that I would one day not only do a “Yes Day” with my kids, but enjoy it too, I would have insisted you were insane.

And, the whole idea of this day might seem ridiculous because a visit to a Disney Park is enough “YES” already.

I get that.

But, I did it and the day completely surprised me.

Let’s take a look at how it works.

Basic Scoop

I heard about the idea of a “Yes Day” many years ago, well before I started this website. I’ve been over-doing things my entire life (Sorry, Mom) and motherhood is no exception, so this seemed like a perfect fit for me.

This book, from what I understand, tells all about it. I never read it, so don’t feel it’s essential. But, I hear it’s cute.

Essentially, you grant wishes all day. It’s that easy. (Kind of.)

The Rules

There aren’t any official rules for a “Yes Day”, but the overall idea is that you spend an entire day saying ‘yes’ to your child.

It’s wise to set some limits so you don’t agree to a forehead tattoo or end up with a Burmese Python as a pet, but if possible, keep those rules to yourself.

In fact, you shouldn’t tell your kids you’re doing it at all.

Just start the day and try not to say “No”.

Here are some ideas of limits you might consider, per this article.

• Activities can’t be illegal or unsafe (for example, eating something a child is allergic to)
• Set a budget per child or for the whole day
• No requests can result in permanent consequences (buy a pet for example)
• Place a travel limit if necessary

This article also lists 30 suggestions for a “Yes Day”. If you like the idea, but don’t want to see it play out in a Disney Park, that post will help. A “Yes Day” doesn’t have to be expensive or cost anything at all really.

Unless you’re at Disneyland, of course.

Our “Yes Day”

As mentioned before, I spontaneously set this in motion about 5 years ago. With me was my son, Jack (age 11), my daughter, Lainey (age 10), and one of Lainey’s friends, Regan (age 10).

Our day started like normal. We arrived early and got busy with attractions. But, there were subtle differences about our visit compared to others.

Essentially, when a kid asked to ride something, NO MATTER HOW RIDICULOUS THE LOCATION OR HOW LONG THE WAIT WAS, we rode it. (The most painful part for me.)

Ice cream for lunch? Sure!

You want the silly Minnie slippers that you’ll wear once around the park and then never put on again? I love that idea. Let’s do it.

And so on. And so on.

When we arrived at the car to head back to Oceanside late that night, I finally shared that we had all just enjoyed a “Yes Day”. Puzzled looks came over each child’s face as they put it all together. Turns out, Regan and Lainey had been chatting about this oddly agreeable and surprisingly generous behavior of mine, but weren’t about to rock the boat to ask what had gotten into me.

Jack is unlike most kids, and didn’t ask for a thing. We celebrated in other ways – by riding Autopia 8 times (literally), by sitting in the Golden Horseshoe long enough to see two shows and enjoy both the Fantasmic! Sundae and Cherry Chocolate Coke Float, etc etc.

By the end of the day, I was picking up hoodies, light sabers and more, trying to entice Jack, but he declined. This surprised me. But, Jack often does in life, and I love that about him.

What I Loved Most About This Day

The most surprising part of our “Yes Day” was how enjoyable it was for me. When I removed the involuntary impulse to decline most of what my kids asked for, a sense of calm took over. There were very few decisions to be made and I loved that.

I’m serious. It made the day more relaxing.

I just floated through Disneyland and DCA without a care in the world.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

We didn’t follow a strategy. We didn’t use a FASTPASS. There wasn’t much reason to anything we did that day, but no one seemed to mind.

Yes, I will tie your shoes because you hate doing it. Yes, we can eat apples with caramel, chocolate covered strawberries, watermelon and Funyuns for dinner. Yes, you two can ride Indy AGAIN. Yes, we can buy bottled water instead of refilling the ones we brought in.

When you say “Yes” to (almost) everything, kids actually start asking for fewer things. They, instead, relish the wishes granted. I was absolutely delighted with this unexpected result.

Note: The most expensive things I bought that day, by far, were the Minnie Mouse slippers at $30 a pair. I think they were $20 or less back then, actually, minus my AP discount.

Notes

• In 2021, Jennifer Garner starred in a movie called, “YES DAY”. Here‘s more about it. This movie shows a different twist on the idea.
• If the entire idea of a “Yes Day” sounds ludicrous to you, I understand. I am one of 6 kids, so something like this would have never happened with I was younger. It’s ridiculous. I get it.
• Looking back, would I do it all over again? Absolutely. I enjoyed it as much as they did.
• Can you do it twice? I won’t do it twice. This feels like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. And, the kids really need to have no idea of what’s going on to not let things spin wildly out of control.
• Overall, this was a great experience.