Such a Simple Lesson

For the last 31 weeks (approx) I have been reading books, articles, blogs, etc. Trying to acquire any knowledge that will ensure my first child will be taught well. There are all sorts of ideas, techniques, theories, hypothetical, and absolutes out there to read about. Some contradict each other and some are confusing, but I feel the more knowledge I have, the better prepared I will be...We will see about that. This Sunday, I was privy to an incredible lesson taught by a couple who were parents 8 times over, grandparents 27 times over, and great-grandparents to many. They taught about the importance of teaching your children to make decisions. Of course I know that this is a critical skill for any person - child or adult - but I am not sure I have devoted the proper time to figuring out exactly how I am going to do this (ask me how I am going to make my child sleep through the night, be a perfect eater, and share...I have superfluous knowledge on these subjects and am sure that once Junior is here it will all be out the window...). So I listened hard. I am sure everyone is already doing this well so I won't go into too much more detail, but one of the techniques they gave was so simple (in theory at least) it made me smile. They suggested that as bedtime is nearing, you give your child a choice between continuing what they are doing (ie playing) or going to bed and having a story read to them. After they choose, make them stick to their decision. If they decide when they get into bed that they really want a story, but they chose to continue playing, explain that they made that decision and that was the consequence. I thought this sounded like a simple way to teach your child such an important concept. Having the ability make choices, and the understanding that every choice had a consequence is simple but necessary. Empowering them to be in charge of their own decisions is invaluable.
It's not a new idea or fancy technique, but it was profound for me. I feel it is very important for kids to understand the importance of making decisions and to give them practice when they are young enough that as a parent you can still control what the choices are - to be sure that one of them isn't a threatening one (physically or spiritually).