An important component of building harmonious relationships with your youngsters is supporting their independent decision making. Allowing them to choose for themselves not only communicates a message of trust, but also reinforces their decision making capabilities. 

With this in mind, here are three ways to set your youngsters up for successful decision making: 

Present options: Becoming an effective decision maker takes practice and your youngsters will need plenty of it. Start off by presenting them with less significant options, like creating schedules for themselves. As they get better at making choices, gradually guide them into making decisions that have a greater impact on their day to day function. 

Allow your youngsters to regulate their own behavior. Rather than thinking of this as giving in to their impulsivity, consider it as a way to help build their decision making skills and an indirect way to teach responsibility. Ask your youngster to reflect on their behaviors and discuss the positives and negatives as a result of their choices. 

Acknowledge your youngsters’ critical thinking during the decision making process. It’s important that we recognize our youngsters’ efforts to make informed decisions, both simple and complex. Ask them about their motivation when making choices. Moreover, encourage them to compare the outcomes of those choices and to consider other options when necessary. Doing so will increase the likelihood of them using a similar process in the future.