'Yes Day' stars Jennifer Garner and Edgar Ramirez on why quality time is the most important gift
Families have been making big changes in their everyday routines due to the pandemic—some find themselves spending far more time than before, while others had no choice but to be away.
But if there’s one thing that we learned from this so far, is that quality time should never be taken for granted.
One film that would remind parents to spend more quality time and have a bit of fun with their kids (and vice versa) despite their busy WFH life is Yes Day.
In the family comedy, which airs on Netflix this March 12, Edgar Ramirez (Carlos) and Jennifer Garner (Allison) play a once fun couple who would say ‘yes’ to any adventure. But when they had kids, the parents become overprotective and had to say ‘no’ to them all the time. Until one day, they decided to give their kids a “Yes Day,” a day where all their asks will be granted—no questions asked.
Although the film was produced before the pandemic, for Ramirez, he knew from the beginning that Yes Day’s storyline was going to be relevant.
“It’s a celebration of family,” Ramirez told the media including PhilSTAR L!fe during a virtual press conference. “And now, after all that we’ve been through, this movie has regained a whole different meaning and a bigger and deeper meaning. Because I also know that it’s the reality of millions of people around the world who haven’t been able to be physically in the same space with their family,” he added.
For Garner, this film is also a reminder for parents to recharge and to let go, because with or without the pandemic, parenting is a tough job.
“Being a parent is really hard. It’s hard to be married and to hold on to the joy in a marriage. It’s hard to stay yourself and hold on to your own sense of fun. And it's hard to have kids into, you know, keep being the fun, cool mom that they deserve when you're trying so hard to make everybody get where they need to go with clean teeth and the right homework,” the actress said during the same press con.
But ultimately, they both realized the value of family time.
“If the pandemic has taught us anything is that we don't take [time] for granted. I mean, there is very limited resource, there is very limited asset, and [time] is the most important one,” said the Valenzuelan actor. “The most beautiful gift that you can give to your family or you can give to the people you love the most is time. Time and focus.”
Ramirez believes that everything starts in the family. And all those little requests we make from our loved ones has something to do with quality time. “I really hope that when you organize a Yes Day with your family or with anyone you love,—‘cause we also think that Yes Days [are for] any relationship that is meaningful to you—I guarantee you that when you organize it, and you give it to somebody, you realize that every ask has to do with quality time, with undivided and devoted attention. That's what they asked for and that's what we should give, and that is the most beautiful thing that anyone can give to you: their time and their focus.”
Garner said she made the most out of the lockdown with her kids. Unknown to most, Yes Days are nothing new to the 13 Going on 30 actress—it has become part of her family’s tradition. “We've been doing this for about nine years and as they've gotten older, Yes Day is more and more about torturing me and less and less about just breaking rules,” she shared.
“[I] just kind of took it back to what was simple,” she said. The actress rented a big bounce house which they installed in the backyard, had a picnic with take-outs, they had ice cream and waffles for breakfast, and stayed up late watching TV. “We just had fun!”
“Yes Day is just a really fun way to suggest, ‘Hey! You know, you can just let it go for a day and let it be messy and have a good time,’” Garner added.
Photos courtesy of Netflix.