This will be our final piece of looking at: “Unable to make a good decision”.
In our previous two posts we have learned that: we know that everyone needs a foundation upon which to build their life, we know that we must know what we believe and why we believe that thing, we know that it requires lots of modeling and teaching for those in our care to learn how to do this vital part of living, we know that it takes lots of time and the rewards are fantastic!
Today we are going to explore: Modeling and teaching decision making.
If you are a parent, and you are reading this, look around you at those pairs of eyes watching and listening to every decision you are making for yourself, your finances, their health, their lives, everything. They are actively engaged in learning from you at this very moment. What are you teaching and modeling about “making good decisions”?
Children need to learn how to make decisions even when they are little. Here’s an example: “Susan, here are two outfits for you to wear to school tomorrow, which one would you like to wear?” Now, it doesn’t matter which outfit Susan picks only that she is learning to chose. Learning how to chose a great piece of fruit can be a great lesson to teach a young person in tow with you at the grocery store.
When you take the time to teach “how to choose a great apple”, you do several things:
1) you teach a lifelong skill to your child,
2) you get a helper who can pick fruit and vegetables and help you shop,
3) you teach something very important: discernment,
4) you teach your child what is in season and what is not,
5) you cement the things the child is learning in school about price, weight, size, etc. and
6) you will eliminate a lot of the stress that you feel when you must take a child with you to the grocery store by using the restless energy that inevitable turns into trouble for you by keeping your child engaged in the process.
I know, I know, it is work. Now you have a choice: would you rather take the time to model and teach or would you rather have the hassle and stress of constant correction in the grocery store?
You see all of our life is about decision making.
What are you teaching today, right now?
I’d love to hear your story!
