Maybe one of the most difficult transitions is about turning decisions over to your teenager. When they make a decision we might have a tendency to want to jump in and help if we think our decision might be better. When we do this, the message we give is that was not a good enough decision. As a rule of thumb it would be better to allow them to play out a decision if no one will get hurt and see how it works out. Sometimes we might be surprised and it goes well. Other times if may not work out well and then we want to tell them that is okay. Is there anything you might have wanted to do differently? Or how did you think that would work out, and possibly, then maybe if you had tried this.
The goal is to start decision making early enough that the decisions are not life changing. It is easier to learn by your mistakes if the consequences are not too big. But if you are just starting now that is still alright. What you want is that your teenagers develop the confidence to make decision in their life. I see many adults that are fearful about making decisions. They avoid them and tell me they either have never made decisions or they do not make good decisions. When we help them with this while we still hold the safety net they grow into adults not afraid of making decisions. Good luck with this. Sherri
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