Teaching Children About Consequences

I was so fortunate to have had a wonderful parenting friend when my children were young. The one thing she was so strong about was consequences. There are always consequences.

I somehow grew up and entered into adulthood believing that consequences were negative and a bad thing.

This is not true at all. Each action we execute has a consequence. If we show our children patience, the consequence is they grow up feeling secure and loved. This is a very positive consequence of our actions.

Through this friend I learned how to teach my own children about consequences. When my kids were in a position of having to make a tough choice, we spoke about the consequence of each of their options. If my kids spoke up or chose not to speak up when they felt a wrong had been done, we would talk about the consequences of the two choices.

If a child does not do their homework there are consequences. They won’t be prepared for the upcoming test. They won’t get credit for homework completed and their teacher will form an opinion that they are someone who does not complete the work. On the flip side if homework is always done and always on time very often the teacher will give you a pass on the one occasion you don’t have the homework ready. These are the two consequences of doing or not doing homework.

What about friends? Who our children choose to be friends with has consequences. If they choose friends who are not trustworthy or rather flaky they will often be disappointed. If they choose friends who can keep secrets, who are supportive and who always come through our children will have a very different experience socially.

Talk about consequences with your children. Let them know that each of their actions can and will have a consequences. It’s amazing how much more thought we put into decisions when we consider the consequences.

Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka