If you were to look into most homes from the perspective of a child, the whole regime would feel much more like a dictatorship than a democracy. Parents get to decide when and what is eaten, what is on the TV, and even how long the kids are allowed to stay up for, making a lot of kids feel trapped when they are with their family members. Of course, though, you don’t want your children to feel like this. Instead, to give your kids much more freedom at home, this post will be exploring some methods which will add them to the decision making process.
Why Bother?
Before starting with something like this, it’s always worth spending some time thinking about the reasons for taking such action. In reality, this sort of effort isn’t important throughout much of life, and you don’t have to worry about your child feeling like they have no choices. Instead, this will carry the most weight when it comes to the rules your child follows. If they feel like they’ve had a choice when it comes to the restrictions they face, they will be far more likely to stick to the rules.
A Discussion
This process starts with a bit of a discussion, with the rule you’re trying to put in place being the main topic of debate. Your child should always have options here, as this will ensure that they can pick something which they like, rather than having to follow what you think is best. Of course, though, this can be a very minor choice. For example, when deciding bed times, you could allow your child to have an extra half an hour each night, but only if they spend the time reading or doing something else enriching.
Implementation
Once you have a rule decided upon, it will be time to start implementing it. This is where the biggest challenge will lie when you’re going through this process, but most issues can be solved by simply talking to your child and trying to figure out what is ruining their effort. In a lot of cases, this will be something simple, like being too full or having too much energy, and this makes it very easy to solve.
Doing It Together
Finally, as the last option to consider, it’s time to think about the work which can be done as a whole family. If you are trying to reduce the amount of fizzy drinks your child has, for example, you could also look at drinking less coffee, as this will make it feel like everyone is making an effort together. There are loads of resolutions parents can make with their kids; you just need to find a couple which will lead to positive change in your home.
With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to embrace your child’s decision making skills when it comes to your home. It can be hard to make sure that you’re thinking about your kid when going through a process like this, even though they are a big part of your life.
