The Importance of Choice
Mighty Mommy explains how to encourage cooperation and keep kids happy by giving them the power to choose.
Mighty Mommy
In a recent episode, guest blogger Stacey Kaye discussed the Power of Choice. Here are the top reasons why giving your child a choice in day-to-day matters is so important:
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Giving kids choices often helps prevent power struggles. The child who is presented with a choice will embrace the chance to choose and save defiance for the times you make demands.
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Giving kids choices also defuses power struggles. When in the middle of a heated tantrum, try offering a choice and see if that takes the air out of the power struggle so you can get things done without a battle.
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Giving kids choices often results in cooperation, the very thing we are trying to gain in the first place. Ah ha!
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Giving kids the opportunity to choose makes them more independent, more skilled at making decisions, and more aware of the relationship between their decisions and outcomes; a lifelong lesson worth teaching now instead of later.
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Finally, and maybe most importantly, having choices makes kids feel good.
Mother and son image courtesy of Shutterstock