Just say no....and it is okay

I heard this on Dr Laura: (written by Barbara Basser)...When Angela was very young,Age two to three or so,Her mother and her father Taught her never to say NO.They taught her that she must agreeWith everything they said,And if she didn't, she was spanked And sent upstairs to bed.So Angela grew up to beA most agreeable childShe was never angryAnd she was never wildShe always shared, she always cared,She never picked a fight,And no matter what her parents said,She thought that they were right.Angela the Angel did very well in schoolAnd, as you might imagine, she followed every ruleHer teachers said she was so well-bred,So quiet and so good,But how Angela felt insideThey never understood.Angela had lots of friendsWho liked her for her smileThey knew she was the kind of galWho'd go the extra mileAnd even when she had a cold,And really needed rest,When someone asked her if she'd helpShe always answered Yes.When Angela was thirty-three, she was a lawyer's wife.She had a home and family, and a nice suburban life.She had a little girl of fourAnd a little boy of nine,And if someone asked her how she feltShe always answered "Fine"But one cold night near ChristmastimeWhen her family was in bedShe lay awake as awful thoughts went spinning through her headShe didn't know why, and she didn't know how, But she wanted her life to endSo she begged Whoever put her here To take her back again.And then she heard, from deep inside, A voice that was soft and low It only said a single word, And the word it said was NOFrom that moment on, Angela knew Exactly what she had to do. Her life depended on that word, so this is what her loved ones heard:NO, I just don't want to NO, I don't agreeNO, that's yours to handleNO, that's wrong for meNO, I wanted something elseNO, that hurt a lot!NO, I'm tired, and NO, I'm busy, and NO, I'd rather not!Well, her family found it shocking, Her friends reacted with surprise But Angela was different, you could see it in her eyes For they've held no meek submission Since that night three years ago When Angela the Angel got permission to say NO.Today Angela's a person first, then a mother and a wife.She knows where she begins and ends, She has a separate life. She has talents and ambitions, She has feelings, needs and goals. She has money in the bank and an opinion at the polls.And to her boy and girl she says, "It's nice when we agree But if you can't say NO, you'll never grow To be all you're meant to be. Because I know I'm sometimes wrong, And because I love you so, You'll always be my Angels Even when you tell me NO"