The 1 Phrase You Need to Teach Your Kids About Grownups and Choices

Have you ever had to explain someone's bad choice to your kid? Or why they can't do what your doing? If you haven't, you will!

This one simple phrase makes it infinitely easier to communicate that when you're a grownup, you get to make your own choices. Whether it's a difference of opinion or preference or a huge mistake, people make choices that you have to explain to your kids (sometimes right in front of them--eek!). And you have to help your kids understand that they don't get to make their own choices all the time because they are kids and that's a good thing.

Here's the magical phrase that will make your life easier: Grownups get to make their own choices.

So when Uncle Ed loads up his plate with chips at lunchtime and your kid whines that he wants as many chips as Uncle Ed, you can respond, "Uncle Ed is a grownup and he gets to make his own choices. I'm your mom and I get to decide how many chips are best for you. When you're a grownup, you can eat as many chips as you want."

But won't this make my kid resentful? Won't they just wish they were a grownup?

First of all, kids have been lamenting not being grownup since the dawn of time.

Second, this is a prime opportunity to have some really good conversations with your kids.

"You're still figuring out to make good choices. This is the time in your life where you're learning how to navigate all kids of situations and you need help and you need to learn all about consequences. Someday you'll do this on your own and it will be harder and the consequences will hurt more. But not yet."

Privately, I would discuss how Uncle Ed has been making bad food choices for a long time, is overweight and in bad health, and these are some of the consequences of his eating choices. This is also good time to talk about how we can disagree with people and the choices they make and STILL love them and be kind.