Search Results for: blog choices and consequences

Negative Consequences of Yo-Yo Dieting

Most of us know that yo-yo dieting (losing weight, gaining weight, losing again, gaining again) isn’t good for your health.  Studies in the past have suggested that it could lead to gallbladder disease, high cholesterol and blood pressure. It may also have a negative psychological impact, such as leading to depression.  It can actually decrease your motivation and make you feel that weight loss will never happen. According to new research by Wake Forest University, in postmenopausal women yo-yo dieting may actually increase the risk of developing heart disease.  One of the things that can happen is that although blood … Continue reading →

Welfare And Drug Testing

I’ve been seeing it on Facebook for months. States are going to start drug testing welfare recipients. My initial gut reaction is that this is a good thing. Why should my tax dollars support someone who sits home, does drugs and keeps popping out babies to get a check? Then the nice side of me gives me a little slap upside the head and points out that stereotypes such as these are why there is so much hate in the world. No, I don’t want to help support someone who is a drug addict. The flip side of that is … Continue reading →

Choices and Consequences

I have been reading a lot about toddlers and discipline lately. One of the things that I have heard about as an effective tool for disciplining children is the concept of letting children experience the consequences of their actions. Parents explain to children that they have a choice as to how to behave in a particular situation, they explain the consequences of each choice, and then they let the children decide which consequences they will experience by letting them choose how they will behave in that situation. On its face, the concept makes sense but what I have been having … Continue reading →

Kids and Money – What and When

One of the most valuable things that a parent can do is teach their children about money. If children are raised to understand how money works, they are likely to grow into financially aware adults who are able to make good financial decisions for themselves and their families. Of course, the big question is when to begin teaching them and what to teach them at each age and stage of their development. The earliest form of financial education for children happens without you even necessarily realizing that you are doing it. Children are very observant, and they see and hear … Continue reading →

Choices

My son and I have been talking a lot about choices lately. A few nights ago we were sitting at the dinner table. Our conversation sounded a little something like this: “Logan, you need to sit down and eat your dinner. You don’t have a choice.” “Yes, I do Mommy. I have agency. I always have a choice!” Pretty deep conversation for a three year old, at least I know he’s been listening! But little Logan was right, in everything we do we do have a choice, however, with every choice we make there is a consequence for that choice. … Continue reading →

For the Strength of Youth Series: Agency and Accountability

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Understanding agency and accountability are fundamental in the LDS faith. Without agency, the whole Plan of Salvation doesn’t make much sense. If we didn’t come to Earth to make choices and choose through our actions to go back to our Heavenly Father, then why are we here? The For the Strength of Youth pamphlet does a great job of addressing this topic. It explains that “you are being proven to see if you will use your agency to show your love for God by keeping His commandments.” I recently taught a lesson on this topic, and after reading 2 Nephi: … Continue reading →

Balancing Decisions and Choices (Yours and Theirs)

I tend to write fairly often about decisions and choices—the importance of letting our children learn how to make decisions and take chances on their own instead of our doing everything for them as parents. I realize, however, that there has to be some balance between our making decisions and choices as parents, and our child’s making decisions and choices too… In my experience as a parent—and most of that time as a single parent—I have learned that when I start to feel resentment and completely overwhelmed, then things are likely out of balance. While I want my kids to … Continue reading →

Teaching Consequences

It is important to teach your children about agency. This involves allowing your children to make choices, and just as importantly allowing them to receive logical consequences for their actions. As parents it is our natural instinct to do everything we can to protect our children from the negative things in the world, but preventing them from having consequences can be a disservice to your children. It is best to start out teaching your children about choices and consequences when they are young. It is also important to teach your children that good children have positive consequences and bad choices … Continue reading →

Privileges and Consequences–Connect Them to the “Real World”

In order for privileges and consequences to have power and “punch” as parenting tools, they need to be connected to the real world–things that truly matter in the life of our child. Otherwise, we as parents have little authority and our children don’t take our discipline techniques seriously. For example, if you take away television privileges from a child who seldom watches television–the discipline is really a joke. At the same token, offering as a reward or privilege a trip to the zoo for a child who is not “into” it does not have much inspiration behind it either. It … Continue reading →

Does This Action Demand a Response From Me?

I think one of the hardest things for me to do as a parent is to NOT respond to something my children say or do. I am deeply entrenched in being responsive after years of mothering and it is often difficult for me to evaluate whether the best response from me at any given moment might be no response at all. Cause and effect, action and reaction—thus is the dance of many a parent and child. Our children behave in a certain way, act out, say something and we respond in kind or at least with something we think is … Continue reading →