When was the last time you made a life altering decision?
It may have been yesterday. It may have been in college when you decided on your major.
Whenever you make a decision is puts you on a new path in life.
That is a very simple statement, but it is packed with emotion, and thoughts surrounding all of the decisions you have made in your life, good ones, bad ones, and those that are neutral.
Do you have teenagers in your home?
What life decisions do you think they are thinking about right now?
No, do not go there, that feeling that they are out of control, not listening and they are NOT thinking about this topic.
All that behavior is their way of navigating through the white water of decision making. Met bet is that they are drowning and would love to have some input, even if their response seems negative, you do have impact.
What are you modeling to them in your own decision making processes?
They are watching you every moment they are with you even if you think they aren’t.
Here’s a tip;
Talk about something or someone in their sphere of influence (like a music artist that they like, or a person they think really has it all together). You may need to do some research, but it is worth it.
The conversation could go something like this: “…..hey,….I saw that “so and so” is doing “such and such”…..” pause, “….what do you think about that decision?…..” Stop talking now. Sit with the silence.
You have just planted a huge decision seed in their head.
Are you connecting the dots here?
It may not have occurred to your teen that what their “idol” is doing in life, impacts them specifically.
They will go there and think about it, even if they shrug, blow you off with a snide comment, or stay silent. You might get really lucky and get a one sentence comment.
This is a more stimulating conversation, albeit one way than: “…how was class today?….”
What are your thoughts? Comments?
