how to make a decision 19 by Article Announcement
Published Date: 15/09/07
Parenting is the hardest and scariest job that any one of us will ever complete. It is also the most rewarding and fulfilling. There are so many chances every day to make a lasting impact on our children, yet we often get so busy in our day to day existence that we let opportunities go by. We all have so many things that we need to complete everyday. I have tried to take time to teach the big lessons in life, yet my daughter has shown me that most of the important little lessons are learned through observation.
My daughter is fifteen years old and is a great kid. She makes good grades because she studies hard and she has good friends because she is a good friend to others. The other day her friend was over and the two of them were talking at the kitchen table as I was making supper. I was not trying to eavesdrop and they were not trying to hide their conversation from me. I realized as I listened that my daughter was instructing her friend on how to make a decision. This is a life lesson that I had never discussed with my daughter. As I listened I heard my daughter describe to her friend about writing down the pros and cons of the situation and honestly looking at what is in your best interest. This lesson on how to make a decision was very well thought out and very accurate.
When my daughter?s friend left I asked my daughter where she had learned how to make a decision. She told me that she had seen her dad and I write down a list of good points and bad points just the other day in helping us decide which of two vacation destinations we were going to take. She had also seen me making a list of pros and cons when deciding between two job offers a year ago. It surprised me how she had learned a life lesson on how to make a decision without me being aware that she was observing what I was doing. This has had a powerful impact on me. I have had to stop to think what other lessons she has learned when I am unaware. I am sure that there are things that she will do because of my examples that may not be healthy for her. I need to remember each day that our actions do speak louder than words and that our children are watching us much more carefully than I ever would have expected.
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