Everyday we are faced with different choices; what to wear, what to eat for breakfast, how to respond to situations, how to behave. Stress, emotions, personal feelings, bias, and the events of the day can all impact our ability to make informed and positive choices. Decision making is the thought process we use to choose the best solution from all available options. Some decisions are about small things and some are harder, like whether or not to do something if you see someone being bullied. Making decisions is sometimes more complicated then we truly believe it to be because we often don't consider the side effects or consequences of our actions. It is important that children learn that choices have consequences. As our children grow older and have more responsibilities, the amount of decisions they will make will continue to increase. Teaching children to make positive choices will lead to positive outcomes.
Decisions about friendships, being healthy, staying well and staying safe may appear relatively straight forward until we take a step back and look at the entire picture with a fresh perspective. If your child is having trouble making a decision they could try the following: stop, think, gather information, brainstorm ideas, identify possible consequences.
It is important to remember that things don’t always pan out in a way that we would have hoped, but it is all a learning experience and can allow us to reflect on our choices and decision making process.
Decisions about friendships, being healthy, staying well and staying safe may appear relatively straight forward until we take a step back and look at the entire picture with a fresh perspective. If your child is having trouble making a decision they could try the following: stop, think, gather information, brainstorm ideas, identify possible consequences.
It is important to remember that things don’t always pan out in a way that we would have hoped, but it is all a learning experience and can allow us to reflect on our choices and decision making process.