Raise a Child Who Can Stand Tall and Say “No”

Being responsible means we act with reflection rather than impulsiveness. Responsible decision-making requires us to pause and think carefully.

It’s crucial to analyze our options by considering the personal consequences and how they will affect others. We need to keep our values in mind throughout the process to guide our choices.

A responsible decision involves choosing an option that considers not only our immediate desires but also the long-term effects on ourselves and others. It requires us to think ahead and weigh the pros and cons before acting.

For example, a responsible approach if you’re deciding whether to study for a big exam or hang out with friends would be to balance both. You might choose to study first and then hang out, ensuring you stay on track with your grades while still enjoying time with friends. It also means thinking about how your choice impacts others, such as how it affects your grades, your friendships, or your future goals.

A smart step in any decision-making process is involving a trusted adult. You can learn about these responsible decision-making qualities alongside Drew, Payton, and Jordan.

Fight, Flight, and Freeze are the three basic ways that our bodies respond to threats.

Your brain might decide that fighting the danger is best. For example, if you are faced with an unfriendly animal, you might yell or throw things at it to try to get it to go away. You might have learned to wave your arms and stomp your feet. You’re trying to prove that you are the bigger threat so the animal will leave you alone!

Sometimes, flight is the best option. Your brain wants to get you out of a dangerous situation quickly. This could mean physically running away from something scary, but it could also mean avoiding something that you find intimidating. For example, maybe it means not raising your hand in class because you’re scared you’ll get the answer wrong in front of others.

The last “F” stands for freeze. Sometimes, your brain can’t make a decision. Instead of fighting or running from the danger, you freeze up. You might have a hard time speaking or yelling, your mouth might go dry, or you might feel faint or lightheaded.

Self Awareness involves recognizing aspects of who you are as a person. This includes what you think and feel, how you react, and importantly, why.

A good practice in developing self-awareness is focusing on your thoughts. What are you thinking? When do you have certain thoughts? Why do you have these thoughts? Are they productive or harmful?

We will begin with thinking about thinking. Our brains are the greatest supercomputers ever created. We have so many thoughts and we process them so quickly we are often unaware of their existence.

By learning to think about thinking we begin to focus on our thought life, which ultimately becomes our real life.