One of the benefits of modern trends in parenting is that parents are empowering their children more readily. However, this can sometimes go awry when parents give their pre-school children too much authority in the relationship and they are allowed to make inappropriate decisions.
Whilst it is vitally important to encourage independence in your child, it is a mistake to allow your child to call the shots in the making of certain decisions.
The reason is that young children do not have the maturity (the years!), the experience (personal participation and observation), the diversity (experiencing a variety of circumstances), the intellect (the brainpower!), the objectivity (an unbiased view) or the empathy (to see another’s point of view) to make an informed decision.
So, when you allow your child to make decisions, do so in an appropriate context, e.g. YES to choosing play dates, food (but not too many choices!) or clothing. NO to decisions about schools, manners and safety (swimming lessons and seat belts). Small children should not make big decisions!
So, remember
YES to APPROPRIATE decisions ….. and BE THE BOSS!