What do you do when your kid wants a cell phone. Having a cell phone in their hand can seem as dangerous as having a car to drive. What does a parent do with this decision?
This decision can be leveraged for many good things.
1. Ask them questions that cause them to think. Kids like to act like dogs. "What do I want?" We need to guide them to think "What should I want?" Ask them if they think they can handle the responsibility.
2. Leverage this decision to have a broader discussion about life. There are many good things in life that also offer pitfalls. What do you do when good things present dangerous elements?
3. Leverage this decision by putting the weight of responsibility on their shoulders. As they take ownership it enables them to grow in vision for their life. Ultimately, as parents we cannot protect them from everything. But we can prepare them to be able to have wisdom to make decisions for themselves.
If you would like other resources, we have a couple of video courses I think you would find helpful.
Video courses:
https://courses.markdelaney.com/disciplining-your-children-with-confidence
https://courses.markdelaney.com/the-confident-father
If you would like to speak with us about our parenting coaching course, Parenting on Purpose, please email us at mark@markdelaney.me