Top Picks: Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Decision Making

I am Lina Ashar and I want to jointly explore the power of parenting with you. Join me on my journey to educate our children in unlocking their extraordinary human potential.

Raise Good Decision Makers: [Psychology Today] Decision making is one of the most important skills your children need to develop to become healthy and mature adults. Decision making is crucial because the decisions your children make dictate the path that their lives take.

Expose Children to ‘Real World’: [First Cry] A helpful dose of reality is the best teacher to teach. If you wish to make your child understand that the consequences of a particular act are bad, you must expose the child to the harsh consequences by showing live examples rather than lashing or grounding the child. Punishments will only demotivate the child.

Size It Up: [Parents.com] Children often get stuck trying to decide something because they think every decision is a huge deal. Helping your child learn the different levels of decisions can ease his worry — and save you both a lot of time. Explain that small decisions, like what snack to take to school, can be made quickly; medium decisions, such as which book to get from the library, require a little more thought; and larger, more important ones, like choosing a sport to participate in, call for more time and consideration. Then the next time he gets flustered about which kind of juice he wants to order at a restaurant, you can remind him it’s a small decision and he won’t feel overly pressured.

Reasons to Let Children Make Their Own Decisions: [Mom It Forward] One of the most important aspects of life is knowing who you are as a person. Knowing your own limitations and advantages can help keep you successful in life. Although the decisions are small for a child, it can help them discover who they are as they find that which they enjoy and what they dislike. Many of us go through life still unable to tell the difference and giving children a chance to learn for themselves could enlighten their future.

Don’t force help or advice your child doesn’t want: [National PTA]Your child will learn what they need to learn their own way, and the process will develop their brain to make hard choices and own them. If you haven’t pushed your help, then you’ll be in a better position to help your child reflect on their decision afterward, asking questions like:

• “How do you think that went?”
• “Is there something different you’d do next time?”
• “What went well?”
• “Is there any way I can help?”