How Develop Your Child's Good Judgement
Good Judgement
Children develop strong character by learning to think about and
make sound judgments about what is right or wrong, good or bad.
These are not always easy distinctions for adults to make, much
less children.
For example, it can be difficult for a child to recognize the
difference between acting bravely and acting recklessly. As
parents, we can help by showing, through what we do as well as
what we say, that it is importantin such situations to think
carefully and honestly about what should bedone, carefully
weighing how others will be affected by what we do.
Sometimes we get into trouble because we "just didn't think." We
let our emotions lead us to actions that we regret later. Making
good judgments requires skills in monitoring impulses, using
reasoning to sort throughfeelings and facts, and thinking about
the consequences of our actions.
Your child's ability to think and make sound judgments will
improve as she matures. With age, however, it also may become
easier for her to try to justify and make excuses for selfish or
reckless behavior. However, if you have helped her develop
strong habits of honesty, courage, responsibilit and
self-respect, your child will have the ability to see the flaws
in erreasoning and be able to come to the right conclusion about
what to do.
What You Can Do
Teach your child to stop and think before acting on impulse.
Teach your child to tell fact from feeling. Let him know that
justbecause he feels strongly about something--such as hitting
someone who made him angry-- doesn't mean it'the right thing to
do.
Encourage your child to think about the consequences of her
decisions. Tell her little stories about situations she might
face and talk about actions she might take who might be affected
by her actions,what might happen because of her actions and what
the best action might be.
When your child has a problem with a rule, brainstorm together a
list of possible reasons for the rule. This leads to greater
understanding.
Remind your child to pay attention to the rules or codes that
apply in each situation. For example, the rules for behaving in
church aredifferent from those for a football game.