As parents, our most important job is to teach a child how to make good decisions, but it isn’t always easy. Children are impulsive by nature, and sometimes they have difficulty understanding the consequences of their actions.
Each of us here today may have made decisions we later came to regret. And if we could change what went wrong, we absolutely would. That’s why it’s only natural to hope our kids won’t repeat our mistakes.
A young child will mature into a responsible and self-reliant person after they learn to make sound judgments. In addition, they are more resistant to being influenced negatively.
It takes time to develop sound judgment, of course. Raising a child capable of making good decisions will take time, energy, and persistence on your part. So here are five ways on how you can help your child make good decisions. See if any of these help!
1. Communicate with your kid
Establishing open lines of communication with your child is the first step toward becoming a positive role model and mentor. By doing so, you can gain insight into the motivations behind their actions and the barriers they may face while trying to make choices.
2. Instill in them strong moral principles
Moral solid principles can serve as a foundation for helping your child make good decisions.
Values like responsibility, honesty, kindness, perseverance, and courage are some examples. You can explain to your child how specific decisions reflect that trait in you. For example, tell them, “I will demonstrate my responsibility by submitting my assignment on time.”
Allow your child more freedom in decision-making by letting them pick their top three values and then supporting them as they act on those values.
3. Let your child experience the outside world
Consequences follow from every wrong choice, although some are much worse than others. Telling young children about the repercussions of their actions can make them think twice about doing something that could harm them.
Tell them how smoking and drinking too much has impacted your older family or friends.
However, parents should be wary of using fear as a tactic to guide their children toward making good decisions, for example, ‘If you do drugs, you’ll go to jail.’…
Fear isn’t the driving force behind everyone’s choices all the time.
We stress the importance of encouraging your child to make decisions based on their principles rather than scare tactics. One’s propensity to make healthy choices, like passing on a cigarette due to concern for one’s well-being, can be gauged by how much weight accountability is given.
4. Set a positive example with your choices
Do the right thing if you want your kid to grow up with excellent judgment. This includes many factors, such as your approach to managing money and your ability to cope with pressure.
Indeed, it isn’t superficial; we’re all fallible human beings. But if you make a mistake in front of your child, show them you can get back up again.
Instead of wallowing in self-pity or sorrow, you must show yourself love and forgiveness. Moreover, explain to your kid how you grew from your mistakes and are now making better decisions. In this way, your kid will learn that there’s always space for improvement and development.
5. Allow your child to learn from their mistakes
A person’s ability to make sound choices is typically the result of the lessons learned from past mistakes. Therefore, avoid hovering over your child and encourage them to develop their interests and preferences (and mistakes).
Many parents, out of a desire to protect their children, intervene too fast when they sense their child is about to make a poor decision. Yet, if parents are constantly interfering, their children may come to rely on them to make choices for them.
Therefore, rather than commanding your child’s every move, guide them toward the best choices. You can forewarn them of the consequences of their actions, but you shouldn’t make them feel bad about themselves or keep saying, “I told you so.”
The most important lesson is to explain the consequences of their decisions, whether good or bad. Be clear and honest with what those consequences will be. And if your children are willing to listen to you and promise for better choices in the future, let them make an effort by themselves before chastising them again.
Ultimately, you should strive to develop a strong bond with your kid. Assure them that you have faith in their abilities and that they can always count on your help, even if they make a mess of things.